Being You
by jtcarriere
Summary: Alvin and Simon rarely get along, but when Simon asks Alvin for help in his science fair project things go horribly wrong. Alvin messes up and the chemical in Simon's machine ends up switching their bodies! Now the brothers have to live life temporarily in the others shoes while they repair the project. Can they handle the others problem and deal with secrets learned?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Readers and Writers! Here's a new story for you! This story is not set in the same world As Jeanette's Flower or What We Have so you don't need to read those if you don't want to. I do not own the Chipmunks, the Chipettes or any character associated with Bagdasarian Productions. I do however own the story. T****h****i****s i****s ****BROTHERL****Y, no****t a****n ****Alvin/Si****mo****n ****r****elati****o****nship.**

**Happy Reading and Happy Writing!**

Alvin's Point of View

"Simon!" Dave called from the dining room table, "Dinner!"

"Hurry up!" I added, whining for the first bite of the pizza that Dave, my guardian -more like a father- ordered. There were six spots to eat on the table; that's right, I just said ON! We weren't just "kids" as Dave called us, we were chipmunks, the chipettes, Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor, and me and my brothers, Simon and Theodore. The six of us were six furry chipmunks, roughly eight inches to a foot tall with tails and everything. Not wanting to toot my own horn here, but we were pretty famous; still Dave treated us like kids, but we treated him like a father so I guess it was somewhat of a fair trade. I sat in one spot and to my left sat my youngest brother Theodore. Ahead of us, three spots were filled by the three females of the house: Brittany, the pink beauty with auburn fur, Jeanette, the shy smarty with darker chocolate brown fur, and Eleanor, the motherly sweetheart with the brightest fur that anyone had ever seen. Brittany sat in the middle like I had, and her sisters took each side of her. The spot to my right was empty and for the first time too. Simon was never late for anything unless and emergency came up. Unless he started a fire in the room we shared with the chipettes, he should be down here eating like any other day. "Simon!"

"Alvin, just go up and look for him." Dave said. I pondered the idea in my head; wait for Simon with the hopes of him coming down soon so we could start eating, or go all the way upstairs and drag him down by his blue hoodie for the sake of filling my stomach. Obviously I chose the latter. Climbing down from the table and over to the stairs, I could hear Brittany snicker as I was tasked with such a lame chore. Angry as I was, I still hopped each step with a smile. With each step, the growls in my stomach got louder and I couldn't get to our room fast enough. Our door was wide open and through it I could see the blue of my brother's hoodie and the darker brown fur he had as opposed to my pure brown.

"Oh, no no no," I heard him complain from inside the room, "that won't work either." He sighed and threw something away far off to the side of our room where I couldn't see. He looked upset and I really should have been more respectful, but I could smell the cheesy pizza from here, it called to me.

"Simon, what's taking you so long?!" I questioned, "I'm starving!" Oh well, so much for respect.

"Alvin, I can't think about food now, I'm in the middle of a crisis!" Great, if this was anything like Dave's mid-life crisis, I was in trouble.

"There is an extra-cheesy pizza down there that is just begging to be eaten," I informed him of the current situation, "Dave refuses to start dinner without you. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, which do you prefer?" He gave me an unamused look like I was making a joke. "Dude, I'm not kidding!"

"I can't eat right now." He stated.

"Ugh! I f I help you with your crisis, will you hurry the heck up?"

"I couldn't ask you to help with something of this proportion, it's too unorthodox."Big words… I got the feeling we weren't going anywhere soon.

"I'm offering my services to you and you turn me down?" I couldn't believe it, "Worry about this orthodox thingy later. Can't we just go downstairs?" I asked this as my stomach growled yet again, wondering where dinner was.

"Alvin, this is a nightmare!" Dang… I guess unorthodox means it's important. As hungry as I was, I knew I had to help him.

"Maybe -and this is just a suggestion- you tell me what's wrong and I … Help you." I had to force those last words out and he looked suspicious at my sudden generosity. I was starting to think I was never going to get to eat. Was this how Theodore felt all the time?

"Boys," Dave called from downstairs, "don't make us start without you!"

"Spit it out!" I screamed, grabbing my brother's shoulders and shaking him.

"Fine," He agreed and readjusted his black-rimmed glasses on his face comfortably, "As you know the science fair is coming up and I thought I had a real chance at winning with the project I've come with," Yeah yeah; get to the point! "The only problem is… Well…" Anytime now, that pizza's only got so long before everyone else digs in and we get stuck with the crumbs. "It runs with something and I'm missing the… Part… And the only other person that I know who has it is Mr. Crout. I know he's not going to give it up willingly so I've come to the conclusion that I have to… Steal it." This instantly became the best day of my life; my nerdy, goody goody brother, Simon, wanted to do something completely irresponsible and bad, and he was asking ME to help! This was going to be good.

"So you really do need my help." That wasn't a question. I already knew the answer. Without me, he'd never be able to pull it off. He wanted to steal from his science teacher!

"Yes." He gulped, "Alvin, I need your help breaking into West Eastman High tonight and I need your help with stealing what I need." I couldn't help but grinning as it killed to ask this of me; he was practically begging and I decided to let him suffer no longer like the great brother I was.

"Okay, I'll help you bro." I said, "But on one condition."

"What's that?" He asked with a hint of worry in his tone.

"Get your butt down there so we can eat!"

"Okay, Alvin you're the criminal mastermind; what do we do first?" Simon asked a little jittery as we stood the only two awake in our room. Dinner was a distant memory, but a good, tasty memory that I would remember for at least a couple of hours.

"First we sneak out of the house," I explained, "Which shouldn't be to hard judging by the way Dave is snoring." I could hear him all the way from our room and I was surprised everyone else got to sleep without any trouble.

"How do we do that?" He asked. I looked up to the square window in our bedroom.

"Through there of course." Without hesitation, I jumped up to it using our triple bunk bed as a platform and unhooked the lock on it, casually pushing it open. "You coming, Si?" He looked around as if he was waiting for someone to stop him, then slowly hopped up.

"This is wrong in so many ways." He whined.

"You get used to it." I assured him and grabbed his hand to assist him up, "Welcome to the dark side." He rolled his eyes miserably and we crawled outside.

It was hard to see in the dark, but eventually we found the high school with its dim lights around the doors.

"How do we get in?" Simon wondered out loud and judging by the few cars outside, and the fact that the inside lights were still on, there had to be custodians inside.

"Wait for one of the janitors to leave." I stated while we waited for the door to open.

"Really, that's all you got?" He complained, "I could have thought of that." I suddenly regretted agreeing to help him. He was so critical about all of this. If he didn't want to win, he could have just let it be so we could eat our pizza. After what felt like hours, the door finally opened and we sneaked past the janitor's feet and into the school.

"Where's his room?" I asked as we tip-toed through the school.

"You would know if you ever showed up for class." I shoved him and let him take the lead.

"I don't like school during the day," I said, "Let alone night." The schools lights remained on, giving us the alert signal that there were still bodies present. We'd have to be careful.

"Follow me." Simon ordered hollowly. He was really stressed, but I guess breaking and entering a high school in the middle of the night would do that to you. He really was not happy about this.

"Will Mr. Crout know the part is missing?" I asked, interested in what we were getting ourselves into.

"Not likely." Simon replied, "He's really busy and he has plenty to give with no time to experiment himself." He shivered as we approached the teacher's room, "Can we just get this over with?"

"Yeah, but we need a way to get in." I looked up to the open window at the top of the door, "Well what do we have here?" My poor brother looked up and sighed.

"How do we get up there?" Why was it that I had to do all the thinking?

"You're the smart one, you tell me." He scratched the top of his head and looked around, probably for anything that could of use. I followed his gaze to the custodian's cart, loaded with goodies that could help us.

"Think we can push the cart?" He suggested. Instead of replying, I dashed to the cart and motioned for him to follow. Together, the strength of two chipmunks was just enough to get the cart to the door. We hopped up, one at a time and balanced up the broomstick. Without warning, I jumped onto my brother's shoulders and he stumbled, almost making us fall. His fault entirely. "Alvin, be careful!" He held me up and with a little push I shimmied through. Forgetting that -unlike most windows- there was no ledge to land on, I fell.

"Gah! Oof!" I screamed and landed on the metal doorknob painfully. Now to regain feeling in my body and open the door for Simon. Using my entire body weight, I shifted myself around the doorknob, spinning around upside-down, right side-up, upside-down, right side-up. A full twist of the knob, a click, and just like that, the door was opened.

"Come on, hurry up, Si." I complained at his slow movements. Once inside, he moved over to the cabinets and easily slipped one open. The cabinet was lined with glass bottles with what had to be chemicals. "Hey, I thought you were missing a _part_!" I stormed at him like an interviewer at an interview.

"I am," He replied, but I doubt I had any of his attention now, "This chemical is necessary for my project; it's a piece of my project, a part if you will." I felt duped, my own brother lied to me. Oh well. I've lied to him more than enough times.

"Whatever, just hurry up, I think hear someone coming." Footsteps sounded from outside the room in the hallway and our time was limited. From his hoodie pocket, Simon grabbed a tiny vial and snapped the lid to one of the bottles open, carefully pouring in some of the liquid. The missing amount didn't show, but I was sure that if you measured it, there'd be a noticeable difference. Simon then plugged his full vial with a cork and snapped the lid shut.

"Let's get out of here." He said and without argument we started sneaking past the custodian.

"Ahh! Rats!" She screamed and grabbed the broom. We ran with the custodian swinging at us until finally we found an open door out. Running for our lives out of the school I checked back every ten seconds to make sure we weren't still being chased.

"That's chipmunk." Simon breathed and we made our way in front of our house.

"You... Owe... Me... Big time." I panted.

"Yeah yeah." He ignored me and stared at the vial in his hand with a twinkle in his ocean blue eye.


	2. Chapter 2

Simon's Point of View

The project itself wasn't very hard to build. Being as small as I was, I had to use materials that normally wouldn't be customary in a machine, such as switching most of the metallic parts to plastic, but I was able to pull it off. The only problem was Alvin. He's been following me around ever since our… heist and it's been getting really annoying, to the point of him getting on my last nerve. It started off with him just watching me work on my project, but it quickly escalated to him asking questions and just getting in the way. Everywhere I went there he was going, "Hey, Simon, how's the project going?" Why would he care? He never showed any interest in me or science before so what was it that got him so gratified by my science fair project? Did he not get enough satisfaction in knowing he could hold the fact that we stole together against me for the rest of my life? Was that what this was, a joke?

I kneeled in front of my project, working in our room with Alvin right behind me and the vial of the chemical beside me. It was starting to get downright creepy; he was like a little kid following his mother except in this case it wasn't anywhere near as cute. I worked from the sweat of my brow; the room was HOT! Even with the window open letting a small breeze, our room burned hotter than black metal in August. Although I guess it didn't help that I wore a blue hoodie all the time. The project wasn't big enough to fit in our room without moving our triple bunk bed, but my brothers graciously accepted sleeping on the reclining chair in the living room for the next few days.

Science was never Alvin's thing, anyone who knew him could tell you that, but his curiosity seemed to get the better of him this time around. When -after following me around for a week and getting in the way of the project, purposely trying to get me to mess up- he finally just asked to watch me build, I non-verbally gave him permission. Was it the smartest idea I ever made? Nowhere near, but at least it got him off my back, even if only somewhat.

"Simon, what does that remote thingy do?" He asked, gesturing to the remote panel beside me for the fifth time in the past half hour. I've told him each time he asked, but like always, whenever I talked he barely paid any attention and therefore learned nothing. Why was he so irresponsible? Why couldn't he just listen to me the first time?

"As I've said time and time again," I sighed, "That's what operates the machine, the neuro-transmitter." I silently laughed at the pun my project was named after. A neurotransmitter was a chemical in the brain, which was kind of the main topic my project was about.

"What's the neuro- er, what's the machine do?" He questioned as I finished putting together the second compartment, the second pod, of the thin plastic-materialed project. I hated being too small and too weak to use metal, the standard material used on a MACHINE! I ignored him and stared brightly at my creation. Six feet high (it had to fit a standard human) with two cylinder columns, pods, for the subjects to stand in. Dozens of wires connected the columns from the top, protected by rubber-like tubes and at each end, the wires connected to a metal object. A neuro-helmet. Stuck in between the pods was a small container that physically connected them. It had two holes in it, two sections. One for the generator attached behind it so the transmitter could work, and one for the chemical to go into. This machine would be a huge scientific creation once I presented it at the fair next week, I just knew it! "Simon? Hello?" Alvin waved his hand in front of my face, but I was too mesmerized by my project to even care.

"What?" I whispered, still focused on the transmitter, wondering if there were any little tweaks I could make so it would function better.

"I said, what does the machine do?"

"Oh," I snapped myself out of my trance, "You sure you really want to know? You won't fall asleep while I'm explaining again, will you?" I really hated it when he did that. It made me think I was boring or that he just didn't appreciate the knowledge I had to offer.

"I'm almost sure I'll give you my full attention," He said, "Just tell me!" Looks like I had no choice. He wouldn't stop bugging me until I told him and even then I'd get no respect from him. I spoke while I admired my work and I spoke with passion. What scientist wouldn't?

"Okay, well one subject steps into that first pod, "I began, pointing to the left column, "and another subject goes into the other. Each subject then attaches the neuro-helmet to their head so it's snug. Using this remote control panel, or RCP, I wait for the chemical to charge up in its container -you'll know the machine is ready to be used when the light on the RCP flashes "Ready to Use" and then I simply push the green button to start." I took a deep breath as I continued, "The pods close and the generator sends an electrical current to the neuro-helmets and therefore to each subject's brain. The current -carrying the chemical, which is kind of like the fuel- flows through each subject's brain and through the synaptic gap inside it, adding in the special chemical with the others already taking their role inside your brain. This chemical interacts with your motor and sensory neurons -more so your sensory neurons-, as well as your thoughts and feelings, including the five senses; touch, taste, scent, sound, and sight. Then, with the neuro-helmets, those thoughts and feelings flow through the tubed wires and are played out in the other subjects' head." Proud of my work, I paused, hoping to add a dramatic effect to the amazement of what I'd created, before I heard a loud rumble. I turned around to see my brother's reaction to my speech and puffed heavily. That egotistical, short attention-spanned little lying munk was snoring! Somewhere along the lines of the answer to his question, he crawled over to Eleanor's bed, the bottom bunk of the Chipette's triple bunk bed, and fell asleep! I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't heard a word I said. "Ugh, Alvin!" I screamed, jolting him awake.

"Aah, yeah, that's really interesting, Si." He snorted and stretched his limbs and fluffed his fur.

"You didn't hear me at all, did you?" I accused him, knowing full well he didn't have a valid retort.

"Um, no. Something about our brains, right?" He considered this an answer, a way to make up for falling asleep on me again? "You know, I asked what it did, not how it worked. Maybe you should work on your listening skills better." I ignored his last comment, suppressing the urge to slap him.

"Hmph, close enough." I scoffed and then corrected his answer, "This has to do more with our thoughts. To sum it all up; if we were the subjects, with this machine, we'd be able to read each others minds and feel each others feelings."

"Cool, can we try it out?" He jumped up and over to the first pod. I didn't consider this for very long. The answer was obvious.

"I don't think so," I answered, "You'll likely mess it up."

"Oh come on, man!" He begged, "Please? I really want to see what you put so much on the line for. Besides, don't you need a test dummy?" For once I thought about what he said deeply. He was right, I needed to test the transmitter to make sure it worked properly. And he was the perfect dummy.

"Okay, fine." I agreed, "Just don't do anything unless I tell you. I'll be right back, I need batteries for the RCP."

"The what?" He asked, "Wait, you need batteries to operate this thing?" I nodded, "After all the work you put into this, you still need BATTERIES?!" He raised his eyebrows and I knew it was kind of sad, but he didn't need to hear that from me.

"Yeah, so what?" I asked him rhetorically and left to find some batteries.

I returned with a double A battery in each hand; amazingly, that's all the RCP took, and I dropped them as soon as I entered our room. My brother was near the machine and I knew he touched something. Even the littlest thing out of place could be hazardous!

"Alvin! You better not be tampering with the transmitter!" I quickly pushed him away and tripped over an empty vial as I did so. "What… Did… You… Do… With… The… Chemical?" I clenched my teeth to keep from attacking him.

"What, the stuff we stole?" He said, "I put it in the machine so you wouldn't have to."

"You what?!" I yelled, suddenly alarmed at what he'd done, "What section did you pour the chemical in?" I dashed over to the container and looked down at it. It was one of the only parts of my project that was metal and the two slots in it were drenched in darkness. No way could I see if anything was in either of them. There was no way to tell other than to trust Alvin. I was doomed…

"That one." He pointed to the section closest to me and I blew a sigh of relief. That was the one meant for the chemical, it looked like he came through after-all. The other one was for the generator and I had no idea what would happen if the chemical mixed in with it improperly. "Mm, wait, which one was it supposed to go into?" I nodded to the one he pointed to and he gave me somewhat of a grin, "Yeah, that's the one I put it into." I guided him inside the first pod and set the neuro-helmet on him properly. It was time to test my project. If it worked, I had no doubt in my mind that I would win. If it didn't, I prayed that nothing lethal would happen. I willingly stepped into the second pod with the RCP and placed the batteries inside it. I guided the neuro-helmet onto my head so it fit snug. Once everything was set, I waited patiently for the light on the RCP to light up, which only took a minute or so.

"Here we go." I whispered and pressed the green button. Immediately after I could feel the shock waves, the way they seeped into my skull and judging by the way Alvin was acting, he could feel it too. The tubed wires lit up with various shades of red and blue and at first I felt like I was being drained of all my energy. I had no control over my body as it occasionally jerked, it was like I was numb all over from anesthesia. I could hear nothing but the static of the electrical current as it passed through mine and Alvin's brains.

"_At least, I think it was that one."_ I heard suddenly, _"Oh well, no harm no foul."_ No ones mouth moved and that certainly wasn't my own thought… It worked! I was hearing Alvin's thoughts! _"I wonder if Dave will find the broken bowl under the mat, jeez this thing is boring. I doubt it even works."_ Ha! No way! Wait, did he just undermine my experiment? I watched my brother as his eyes went wider and he snickered. "Aw, dude, if you want to ask Jeanette out, just do it already. Your thoughts are sad." He said. I gasped, forgetting that he had access to all my thoughts and feelings. Always, even at the worst times I had at least a little piece of my mind on Jeanette… "Ha! That's really sweet, bro." Dang it! Okay think of something different… Box of puppies…. Box of puppies… "Aw, are you embarrassed?" He mocked, "Because I know that isn't me, that embarrassing feeling must be coming from you! That's how you fe- Oh, now you're mad. This is fun!" Ugh! Two could play this game, I tried peering into his thoughts, his feelings. Wow, he had his issues.

"You're very insecure." I stated as a retort, reading his thoughts and he instantly became as embarrassed as I was.

"Shut up, Simon!"

"Maybe that's why you're so scared to be near Brittany."

"I said shut up!" He yelled, _"I'm not that insecure."_ He thought. After a few minutes of this, I decided the experiment was a success and I was about to turn it off when I smelled smoke, and I instantly looked over to the generator. Sure enough, it was rattling! Forgetting I could hear his thoughts, Alvin worried me. _"Uh-oh, maybe I did put it in the wrong section… Oops."_ And the look on his face confirmed it. He reacted as he felt my fear, panicking as his own built up. Having to fear personalities would not make this any better. "Simon, what's wrong?" A bright light from the generator flashed several time before hearing a loud noise, making the zap in my head hurt even more. One last flash was my last feeling, and hoping everything would be okay was my last thought. I had no idea if Alvin heard it, all I knew was I could no longer sense my brother.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, readers and writers. So it looks like there's a little confusion of the form this is written in (If one reader thinks so, there's bound to be others) so this is to clarify: This is CGI Format. I understand the confusion as even the brilliant Simon isn't brilliant enough to build a machine like this as a real chipmunk, but I made an exception. I also understand if there's some confusion through the whole story as it may be tough to know who the heck's point of view it is. Well like always at the beginning I tell you who's point of view I'm writing in. :) Hope you enjoy; Happy reading and Happy Writing.**

Alvin's Point of View

My head hurt… After the flashing light that I was sure would have given me a seizure and the loud BANG afterwards, I wouldn't be surprised if I had a concussion. I was dizzy -my vision was blurry and I couldn't see a thing-, my brain pounded at my head, and my entire body was sore through all the wreckage. What the heck happened?! Smoke filled our room and as far as I knew, Simon's machine was in ruins. Simon!

"Simon?" I called through the dense cloud of smoke. I thought I was looking in the direction of the other "pod," but I couldn't see a thing, "You okay, buddy?" No reply. Simon always replied, I mean ALWAYS, even when he was peeved. Something wasn't right. There was never a time when he wouldn't reply in some way. But here I lay in silence. Where was he? Just then, I noticed the smoke fading fast and a cool breeze smacked me in the face. The window, someone opened the window. That HAD to be Simon. Even as some of the smoke cleared, my vision sucked; I must have hit my head. I got up quickly, pushing away any of the plastic pieces that used to be the pod. Adrenaline pushed me forward and I toppled as I stood. Right, that stupid helmet was still on my head.

"He's gotta work on the design of this thing." I grumbled, ripping the helmet off and throwing it to the ground, smashing it apart. _"Whoops."_ I thought sarcastically. I walked towards the cool, clean air. Forced to hold my breath until the smoke cleared, it was no surprise that I rushed. As I moved, I finally caught sight of a figure in the smoke. At first I thought the figure was Simon, it was only natural, right? We were the only ones in the room, right? Right? RIGHT? But after a closer look, I knew the figure couldn't be any taller than me. It couldn't be Simon, or even Jeanette. The figure wasn't very large either, ruling out Theodore and Eleanor(Sorry guys). Obviously it couldn't be Dave. That left Brittany. When and why did she come in? Surely out of everyone to hear the bang she wasn't the first. I didn't even know she was home! Guess I should greet her and maybe even thank her.

I broke through the last wall of smoke and I got a somewhat clear visual of the figure. While my vision wasn't clear, one thing was: I'd lost my mind. My eyes were wider than a doughnut hole as I stared at myself. Crazy, right? But there I stood. Red hoodie with an 'A' on it, perfect brown fur (a little dirty from the explosion) and a cool figure. My figure, my body… Was it a clone? My body turned to me and gasped when he, er… It, saw me. Jeez, even the gasp sounded like me. I raised my hand and it mirrored my movements. It was strange, but I couldn't recognize my own paw. It seemed… darker. I raised both my hands above my head and it did the same at the same time. I even did a little dance on the spot and still it mirrored me. I had truly lost it. Wide-eyed, we battled each other in a staring contest. One minute… Two minutes… Three minutes before the "copy" of me blinked first.

"AAHHH!" I screamed, causing the "copy" to scream back. "W-What the heck are you?!" I asked. I couldn't recognize my own voice, "Is this a dream?" My vision refused to clear up and everything was fuzzy. This HAD to be a dream. "Where's my brother?"

"Alvin?" The copy said and moved closer, poking my shoulder, "Is that you?" Something was… Different. I was actually looking down at myself… DOWN! I wasn't very tall, about average height for a chipmunk, and how could I be taller than myself? "Alvin, it's me, Simon. Don't you recognize me?" This wasn't a dream, this was a nightmare.

"Um, no." I said, "I think you've had a few too many cheese-balls. You're Alvin, and I'm clearly psycho."

"What are you talking about? I'm not you and you're not me!" I was confused, more than confused, more like insane. None of this made any sense. "Alvin, look in Brittany's mirror." Brittany always kept a mirror hung beside her bed, one of the few mirrors in the house; but with her beauty who could blame her? I did as was told by, uh, "Simon" (yeah, right) and looked in Brittany's mirror. Nearly fainting, I couldn't believe the horrible sight. The reflection I got in the mirror had somewhat darker fur than me and wore a blue hoodie.

"What the…?" I whispered and beside me stood the Alvin body holding a pair of round, black-rimmed glasses.

"These might help you see." He said. I put them on and like he said, my vision was crystal clear, and I hated my looks even further; I was a nerd! No no no no! This was just not right! I can't be a nerd! I'm Alvin!

"Simon?" I turned to my own body, who nodded with ghostly eyes as he too looked through the mirror. "What did you do?! Look at me! How could you turn me into this!"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" He replied, "I'd say you look pretty sharp." Tch, he would.

"Are you kidding? I look dorky, and man do you have bad eyesight." Was I really in Simon's body? My own brother's body? But even worse, could he actually be trapped in mine? Every physical feature of his, were they mine now?

"Shut up." He stated, "This is all your fault anyway."

"How?"

"You put the chemical in the wrong section and destroyed me transmitter!" I looked back at the once perfectly built plastic contraption, now just a pile of rubble.

"You know, we can play the blame game all you want later," I began, "but I think we have bigger problems right now!" I acknowledged our little situation of being in the others body, even exaggerated it by giving him a view of myself. "As you can see, I am not supposed to look like this."

"If you didn't mess up in the first place, we wouldn't be in this situation." I couldn't take him so seriously in my voice, my body. I was never this stressed, he had to chill out. Seeing him stressed in my body, it just didn't seem as important. At that moment, Brittany skipped in.

"What situation?" She asked and saw the mess, "Wow. Alvin what did you do?"

"Nothing!" Me and Simon (in my body) said together.

"Okay?" She questioned suspiciously, "Hey, Alvin?"

"What?" I replied and she gave me a strange look, then Simon nudged me.

"You don't mean what, I mean what," He informed and turned to Brittany, "What?"

"Uh, are you two okay?" She asked with confusion, "You're both acting weird. I mean, weirder than usual. And what's with this mess? Start talking, munks."

"Oh, heh, we're fine." I stammered and pushed her out the door, "Thanks for asking!" I slammed the door shut as quick as I could.

"Simon! Let me in!" I heard from the other side of the door.

"Sorry, maybe later!" I yelled and stood against it in case she tried to get in again, "Simon, what are we going to do?! Brittany's going to rampage! It's not safe."

"Yeah, for you! I mean me! I mean… Ugh!" Uh-oh, even he was losing it. If he gets confused, it's a sure fire sign to say we were doomed.

"How do we get back to our own body?" I asked calmly.

"Well, I have to fix my machine." He stated, "But that could some time; Alvin, I think we're going to be stuck like this for awhile."

"Great." I huffed sarcastically, "We're going to die. They'll find out and then we'll be experimented on and then… and then…"

"Snap out of it!" Simon slapped me, "Dang it, Alvin, you're making me slap myself. We need to keep calm."

"But look at me!"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a nerd!"

"Hey!"

"Don't 'Hey' me!" I retorted, "You know it's true." What was I doing? Now was not the time to argue, now was the time to make Simon solve the problem at hand. "how long will it take for you to fix, er rebuild your machine?" We looked at the transmitter as the six feet of plastic now sat as two feet of garbage.

"Um, if I work really long hours, I can get it done in time for the science fair next week."

"You're still worried about that?!" Seriously? We have bigger problems; does he not realize this?

"Of course! How couldn't I be?" He asked, "But Alvin, I'll sadly need you to take my place." He said this as he looked at me, his own body.

"What? No way! I'm not doing it, Si!"

"Please, Alvin?" He begged, "I can't go as you. No one would ever believe you were smart enough to build this."

"So switch us back before the fair."

"No, I think if I do that, the transmitter will break and I'll be without a project. Please, Alvin?" Ugh, as much as I wanted to disagree, as much as I wanted to argue and say I didn't want to go to a boring science fair filled with a bunch of other geeks, I knew he was right and that if I ever wanted to get back into my own body I had to make sure he was fully focused on the machine rather than a science fair. I had no choice, I had to take his place in the science fair.

"Okay, fine, but you owe me big time."

"I know I know; one more thing," He brought up and I twitched. What more could he possibly want? "We're going to need more of that chemical."

"_AAAAAHHHHHH!"_ I screamed inside my head. _"This sucks!"_

"Boys, dinner!" Dave called.

"Guess I'll get started after dinner." Simon sighed.

"Alvin, Simon," Dave greeted, and gestured to a human girl, "This is Charlotte, a friend of Eleanor's." Brown hair, soft green eyes, she wasn't looking too bad. Time to turn on the charm.

"Well hello there, Charlotte." I said, hopping to her at the end of the table. I took her index finger and kissed it. This made Jeanette look up from her meal, almost like she was hurt. All eyes were on me and not in the good way like on stage.

"Oh, heh," Charlotte stammered, "Call me Charlie."

"Will do," I winked, "Oof!" Simon elbowed me in the ribs.

"You're me, remember?" He whispered and looked at Charlie, "It's nice to meet you." He smiled, which was followed by many moments of awkward silence.

"So let's eat." Dave said, looking back and forth between everyone, "Oh, by the way," He continued, "Simon, why did you push and lock Brittany out of her own room? And I heard there's a mess."

"Oh, my fault." Simon admitted, as if he was forgetting that he was in my body. "Sorry, Dave, we'll clean that up after dinner." Now everyone looked at him, squinting, trying to figure out what the heck was going on. The thought that had to be going through their heads: Did Alvin really just admit to something AND promise to clean?

"Didn't you hear the explosion?" I asked.

"There was an explosion?!" Dave raised his voice. Really? How did no one hear it!

"Never mind." I added.

"Explosion or not, that doesn't mean you can lock me out of our room!" Brittany argued.

"You wouldn't have wanted to see the mess anyway, or be in the explosion." I said.

"Is everyone okay?" Dave broke in and I ignored him.

"You're too girly for it, if you stayed in there for another second, you'd probably die. You should thank me for saving you."

"Excuse me?" She said, "Thank you?!"

"You're welcome."

"Simon!" Dave broke in, "Don't be rude!" He then mumbled, "Boy, that sounded weird."

"I could hear Charlie whisper to Eleanor, "I thought you said _Alvin_ and Brittany were the ones who argued."

"They usually are." Eleanor whispered back. We all went back to eating silently. I felt like I was being interrogated even though no questions popped up and I was sure Simon felt the same. Eleanor was whispering to Charlie and both continued to give us strange looks. Jeanette kept looking at either me or down at her plate, and Brittany was giving me death glares and Simon confused looks. Things were pretty messed up at dinner tonight.

"Alvin," Brittany said, breaking the silence. I looked up, but remembering I wasn't Alvin, I wasn't me, I went back to my dinner.

"Um, yes, Brittany." Simon said politely. Die it down a little, bro! "I mean, Brit!" For a smarty, he was really being stupid. We really needed to take acting acting classes, we were sucking at being each other so far.

"Never mind. You seem… Preoccupied." Another weird look was given to Simon and he slapped his forehead.

"Dave, may me and Charlie be excused?" Eleanor asked, "She's going to help me with school work." Dave nodded, seeming to be relieved that this dinner was nearing it's end.

"Ooh, I'll join you, ladies, in a sec." I joked (yeah, like I'd ever do school work at home), my attention to Charlie.

"Alvin!" Simon groaned.

"Alvin?" Brittany question.

"Simon!" Simon corrected himself.

"Simon?" I asked.

"Yeah, Simon." Brittany exaggerated.

"Right: Simon!" I almost shouted. This was really hard.

"Yeah, Simon." Simon laughed nervously.

"Wait, Simon?" Brittany thought out loud, "Why is _Simon_ flirting?"

"Because I'm Simon!" I told her and rested my head in my hands. Everyone was giving me and my brother looks like we were crazy. This was really going to be a long week.


	4. Chapter 4

Simon's Point of View

When I told Alvin I would start rebuilding the neurotransmitter after dinner I wasn't joking. The second I was done eating (which happened fairly quickly) I was up in our room rebuilding the machine from scratch. Of course, this caused some suspicious looks from Eleanor and Charlie, who were already up there. I politely asked them to leave and although they obliged, they gave me a certain stare that made me feel like I was just the slightest bit insane. It was like I could hear their thoughts; Alvin working on Simon's project? And right after dinner too? It simply couldn't be.

Working in Alvin's body wasn't too different than working in my own. Although it didn't look like it, he had stronger muscles than I did so I was able to carry more and lift some of the pieces for a tiny bit longer, but the consolation was the height difference. It wasn't by much, but it was enough to get me confused at times like when I thought I could reach for something only to miss simply because I couldn't get used to having shorter arms or a shorter body. I'd do anything to be back in my own body, even if that meant being skinnier and weaker. Every second until bed-time (which I completely forgot about) was devoted to fixing my machine.

"Okay, Simon, time for you to get out and let us- Alvin?" Brittany looked surprised, "Alvin why are YOU working -or should I say tampering- with Simon's machine?" She and her sisters were already in their pajamas and ready for bed. My brothers: probably the same except downstairs on the reclining chair.

"I'm not tampering with it," I stammered, looking for the kind of answer Alvin would give.

"Then what are you doing?"

"Yeah," Jeanette added, "Simon works so hard, it's a shame it already broke once, don't break it a second time." I smiled and felt warm in the heart, touched that Jeanette was thinking of me. I wish I could thank her right there, but I was Alvin right now, not Simon. I wondered if I would ever get my chance with her, but pushed the thought back, knowing that I had bigger problems at hand. I wanted to acknowledge her more than I could, but would that really be something Alvin would do?

"Simon, uh," I hated speaking as though I weren't in the room, kind of like third person. It didn't help at all -just another problem to deal with while being outside of my own body, "He, uh, asked me to help him? Yeah, that's what he did, that's something I'd do." _"No it isn't!"_ I thought to myself afterwards. What the heck was I thinking? I'd never ask Alvin for help, and the other day DOES NOT COUNT.

"He asked you?" Jeanette questioned, sounding a little hurt. I knew why. Obviously I would have gone to her for help before Alvin if it were for anything other than to steal the chemical. "What's gotten into him lately?" I suddenly agreed with Alvin's earlier comment: This sucks. This whole thing is causing even more problems. Jeanette's been hurt already a handful of times since switching bodies with Alvin.

"Either way, helping him or not, you should be downstairs," Brittany broke in, "You need sleep, and we have school tomorrow." Oh, jeez, I forgot about school! Me! I actually forgot about school?! This went from sucking to mega sucking in only a matter of minutes. "Goodnight, Alvin." Brittany breathed, showing me the way out.

"Goodnight, Jeanette." I said instinctively… I immediately hit my head against the door frame. Stupid! "Brittany!" I corrected myself, "I said Brittany!" Not much else needed to be said; I got shoved out of the room and I had to drag myself down the stairs and onto the chair beside my brothers. Theodore's snoring told me it was safe to talk to Alvin without anyone questioning us or thinking we were crazy.

"Alvin?" I whispered, hoping he hadn't fully fallen asleep yet.

"Just throwing it out there," He groaned, "but my name is Simon and my brother, Alvin is probably somewhere bashing his head against the wall like I did earlier." For Munk's sake, Alvin, making it a little obvious aren't you? He was still doing better than me at keeping our secret.

"Alvin, it's me, Simon." His eyes snapped open and he turned.

"You didn't actually bash MY head, did you?" He asked, coughing awkwardly.

"No, why?" I replied, "Did you?" Like I didn't already know. Not two seconds ago did he admit to such an act. My poor head…

"Um, no?…" He hesitated. "No I did not."

"But what about what you said before?"

"What stuff?"

"That stuff tha-" He cut me off.

"I don't remember any stuff."

"I swear, Alvin, if you're defiling my body…" I started, but got cut off again.

"So how do we handle school tomorrow and for the next week?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." I explained, "We need a plan. We also need to learn each others schedules."

"Schedules?" Alvin repeated.

"Yes, you know, our school schedules for our classes?"

"Oh," He faked a laugh, "right. I'm not going to get any sleep tonight, am I?" I shrugged him a response.

"What class do you have first?" I asked.

"Math." He answered, "No, English."

"Well which one?" How could he have to think about this? "How could you not know which class you have first?!"

"I don't know, sometimes I don't eve go to first period." Jeez this was going to take a long while.

"Okay, let's start with me then." I said, "First period is physics."

"What's that?"

"Seriously?" I asked and he nodded, "Physics is science."

"Which classroom is that?" I just sighed deeply and continued on, ignoring his irresponsibility.

"Second period is math, third is English."

"How do you expect me to remember all of this?" It really wasn't that much and I couldn't understand why he was having so much trouble. He needed to take _some_ responsibility.

"Just follow Jeanette around; She's in most of my classes anyway."

"You sure that's such a good idea?" Alvin asked, "She seemed kind of… off during dinner."

"That's because you weren't acting like me! You were flirtatious and rude and you made me seem like a fool!" It was like he was ignoring me, ignoring the fact that we had to break out of our daily routines and live in the others shoe. I admit that I've always wondered what it would be like to be Alvin, but this was just ridiculous. He must have just shook off my response because he continued talking, categorically of something completely off topic.

"Do you think Brittany likes me?"

"Alvin! This isn't the time for that!" He needed to stay focused. What, throughout our entire conversation, made him think about her? He couldn't be thinking about her while in my body. "Rather than thinking about girls, we need a plan to get more formula for the transmitter; you know, the chemical?"

"Yeah yeah, we'll steal some tomorrow, blah blah." Hearing him say that in my own voice only made me that much angrier. I never shunned something like that for something completely different. "It's just -the girls choice dance is coming up and I was kinda hoping she would ask me."

"Alvin, I said forget about th- Wait, the what?" Girls choice dance? This is the first I've heard of it, although that wasn't surprising. At school I usually thought of school, never minding any fliers that students put up, far too high for me to see anyway.

"The girls choice dance. You know, a dance where a girl chooses a guy to be her date?" Never going to one, I really had no clue what he was talking about. I was very social, just never when it came to public things other than concerts.

"Oh. When is it?" I asked and I could almost hear him think. I knew what he was going to say; not the exact words, but I knew that this was going to get in the way.

"A few days; I think that's what the flier said." A few days? A few days?! Was he not able to think even a little while in my body? A few days wasn't good for him, and a few days wasn't good for me!

"Alvin," I spoke calmly, resisting the need to twitch out of stress, "have you forgotten something?"

"Um, a guy can't ask a girl to a girls choice dance, bro."

"Not that," I ground my teeth together, frustrated at how Alvin could be so clueless, "Hello?! We're in each others bodies! We can't go out like this, especially to a dance! You're hoping Brittany would ask you; I'm not! You wanna know why? Because I'm YOU! And I don't wanna, nor should I, go to a dance with Brittany!" Okay, maybe I blew up just a little… I didn't normally lose my temper so easily, usually I could hide it. However this wasn't exactly a normal situation.

"Oh, yeah." Wow… Did he really not remember? "Well let's hope they don't ask us then."

"They?" I questioned.

"If Jeanette were to ask anyone, it'd be you, and I'm you and Jeanette is soo not my type."

"Oh, yeah, like a wanna dance with Brittany." I said sarcastically, a little peeved at the way my brother was talking about Jeanette. "Let's pray they don't ask us and that getting the formula won't be a problem."

I jinxed it. Alvin knew it and I knew it. I knew that the moment I said something better not happen, it would happen. I, of course, just had to jinx it. That morning, as Dave dropped us all off at school and as I walked to Alvin's locker, trying to put in the combination he told me about, Brittany came up to me.

"So, Alvin, I know you've been acting differently lately, and I figure it's because you're stressed."

"_That's one way of putting it."_ I thought.

"How about, to relax, you go to the dance with me?"

"Oh, um, Brittany… I…" Stammering, I unintentionally slammed the locker shut.

"Say no more," Brittany smiled, "your nervousness is enough of a yes for me." She placed her hand on my shoulder, "See you there." She winked and walked off. Of course… I frowned and knew that, with this rotten luck, I needed to talk to Alvin. I started my search, but the bell soon rang, signaling the beginning of class, and even in Alvin's body, I couldn't ignore my calling.

"Alvin," The teacher -one I had yet to meet in school- sounded surprised, "You're here early; I'm impressed." Alvin seriously had a bad reputation when it came to what mattered in school: grades and responsibility. Class pretty much just drilled on and on and I needed for it to end. I needed to find Alvin. "Alvin!" The teacher snapped, "Please answer the equation on the board." I got a look at the equation and, being used to pushing my glasses up on my face, poked between my eyes. I was getting sick of this. 2x-7y=3. Tch, easy as pie.

"The answer?" I repeated, "x equals five and y equals one."

"Yes…" The teacher sounded baffled, "That's right. Alvin, are you feeling ill?"

"No, sir." I said.

"Sir?" He repeated and the bell rang. I rushed out of the classroom, knowing that I'd have some explaining to do, both to the teacher and Alvin. I wasn't good at this and classes went like this all the way through to lunch, where me and my brother finally caught up.

"Alvin," I said, but I didn't need to finish. He knew what I had to say.

"Look, Simon, you HAVE to go to the dance with her. I'd never stick her up and she knows it." He explained the (one of many) situation, "You don't have to do anything like dance, but don't shun her." A dance? I couldn't go to a dance! Especially with a girl I didn't like, like Brittany. "Please?" He asked and I noticed the others making their way here, "You owe me, remember?" I knew that would come back to haunt me. Now I had to go to my first dance outside my own body with a girl I didn't like.

"O-Okay, fine, but if Jeanette asks you, you have to say no. Don't be mean, just make up a believable excuse." He nodded and eventually the Chipettes and Theodore "sat" with us, Brittany a little too close for comfort.

"So, um, Simon," Jeanette stuttered. I guess I had to see this coming with my luck. "Do you um, want to… go to the dance… with me?" I could see Alvin look nervously for an excuse, a way to let her down gently.

"Oh, sorry, Jeanette, but I'm busy that night." Good. Good. Now for the specifics.

"Oh," Jeanette dropped her head and Brittany wrapped her arm around her sister for comfort.

"Really, Simon?" She remarked, "What are you doing that's so important?" Alvin fumbled and I didn't think he'd be able to come up with a response.

"It's fine, Britt." Jeanette whispered, "If he doesn't want to go, it's fine." She hopped off the table and I wanted to run after her. Brittany scowled at Alvin and hopped after her sister. I didn't like the decision to leave Jeanette by herself without a date, but I couldn't have her go with Alvin in my body. She thought she was asking me, but really, she asked Alvin in my body. I'd need to find some way to make it up to her.

"Simon, didn't you want to go to the dance with Jeanette?" Theodore asked.

"Yeah," Alvin groaned, "I was just busy… Some on, Si- Alvin, didn't we need to talk to Mr. Crout?" I took his cue and nodded, following him him to the chemistry lab. "Simon, you okay?" I didn't answer. "Simon?"

"I'm fine!" I answered, not meaning for my voice to be so rough.

"You're too uptight."

"And you're too irresponsible." I shot back. We were complete opposites, how were we supposed to get through the rest of the week without causing a war in our household?

"Simon, that girl wants to go out with you, but you were to worried about being me to care."

"And you can't be responsible enough to worry at all. You're acting like yourself in my body more than you acted like yourself in your own." We walked in silence as our little argument ceased. We shouldn't be arguing, not now.

"Once we're back to normal, you're asking her out." Alvin finally said before we reached the lab. I gasped when I saw what lay before me. Yellow tape surrounded the area and it looked like a wreck.

"What happened?" I freaked out and was about to run in before a foot stopped me.

"Sorry, boys." Mr. Crout said, "Something happened over the weekend and a few chemicals were spilled and mixed, causing all of this." He gestured to the team of people wearing radiation suits in the lab. "They said the rest of the school is safe, but the chemistry lab -and everything inside- is under quarantine.

"_Seriously?!"_ I screamed in my head.


	5. Chapter 5

Alvin's Point of View

Two weeks. Two bloody weeks at the very least until we could even set foot into to steal more of that oh so precious formula. My blood boiled and if it weren't being blocked off, I'd have run straight into that lab no matter what infectious disease it carried. I couldn't wait two weeks! Things were already bad enough and it's barely been a day! What if we never got back to normal? What if all the chemical in the world was gone and we'd be stuck like this forever? I'd never get Brittany looking like this! And he'd totally ruin my reputation. I could sense my friends, despite being stubborn and even more brainless than I, were noticing the changes Simon was making in my personality. He did NOT know how to be me and that so far, and that was my biggest problem. If he couldn't be me now how could I expect the dance to go?

Simon's schedule was so tightly packed, every second today at school I was forced to move around and attempt to act like him. I was lucky to have enough time to breathe. I got through most of the talking situations by pretending I was sick, but by the looks everyone gave me -not to mention Simon's own reputation of being extremely hygienic- they weren't convinced. Lunch, despite being the only break I got throughout the day, was definitely the worst part of the day; not only did I have to do he hard part for Simon by turning down Jeanette's invitation for him to the dance, but I also discovered the whole lab incident.

"Alvin, did you touch ANYTHING?" Simon demanded to know everything I did while we were first stealing the formula. After forced to replay everything for him in excruciating detail, he attempted to change the subject. I knew what that meant. If I didn't do it, then clearly he was at fault. He and I both knew it. While leaving the cabinet, he must have accidentally knocked over the bottle. Ha! It was his fault the two chemicals collided. It was sort of a hollow joke for me, seeing as now I had to wait in Simon's body even longer than planned. Plus I was way too tired to haunt him with anything. Now it was the last period of the day and according to the schedule Simon wrote up for me, his last class was "Physical Education", in other words: gym. Finally something I was good at! I couldn't believe some of the other things Simon was signed up for. What the heck was a polyatomic ion or trigonometry?! It may not fry his mind like it did to me, but I think I found the cause of his uptight attitude. That's gotta be what advanced teachers are really trying to teach you: be uptight and funless.

I entered the gym and the pungent aroma of sweat filled my nostrils. The coolness of the gym, along with the size made it an ideal place for any sort of training, other than mental. The rest of Simon's class had already shown up and the phys-ed teacher, Ms. Shnook, noticed my late entrance.

"Simon!" She screamed like only a gym teacher or coach could, "you're late! That isn't like you." He pointed me in the direction of a bench and I sat there until she was done chatting with another student, "You know the rules; if you come late to my class, you run five laps around the gym. After you can join the others in dodge-ball." I quickly got to running, losing myself in my own thoughts.

"_This is so unnatural."_ I began, _"We can't survive in the others body, it just doesn't work like that! I'm Alvin! I'm supposed to be having the time of my life and having fun, living MY life MY way, not Simon's. Brittany's probably gonna vomit at the dance with Simon. He doesn't know how to have fun. I don't want him to go anywhere with Brittany -save the real fun for me- but he doesn't need to push her away like what he's making me do with Jeanette." _With everything going on, I wondered how we managed to make it this far. My thinking time was up as I reached my final lap.

Normally, I'd be really excited about a fun sport like dodge-ball, but today I obviously had other things on my mind. Simon was stuck in my body and would later on in the week be going on a date with Brittany to the dance. What a crummy time to switch bodies. Now Simon got to enjoy Brit's company while at the same time, ruin everything between us (not that we had much to begin with.) I was stuck doing who knows what while Simon got to live it up, although I don't think he actually enjoyed what everyone else thought was fun. We agreed that whenever Simon was working on the transmitter, I should be making sure that nothing, or no one, would disturb him. But how could I do that in his body?! Everyone would expect _him_ to be working on his machine, not me! Even as brothers, we practically lived two separate lives, and his was impossible to live unless you were actually him.

The five laps were easy, not tiring in the least. It was actually pretty easy moving in his body. His height, although it wasn't much, made me feel slightly superior, but his glasses were a major setback. How did he ever live with these? There were definitely more cons than pros to being in my brother's body.

I ended up missing the whole first game of dodge-ball and I was placed on the losing team. Typical. The second game started and I was forced to move back as the students on the other team, big and bulky, reached the six rubber balls first in no time flat. However, I easily dodged each ball with a hop, skip and jump, which must have surprised the other team, allowing some of the students on my team to get in a few shots and actually land a hit. The enemy team, flustered with disbelief, only stood there, giving me time to pick up a heavy ball and throw it, landing it in the gut of one of the bigger students. The rest of the match went like this, along with the next match and the match after that and even the match after that. Class ended before I knew it and I though to myself that maybe I could have some fun after-all. I could sense everyone's eyes seeping into me as I left the gym, making me uncomfortable in an indescribable way.

"Alvin!" Simon hissed behind me as I made my way to his locker, "What are you doing to me? Word has it that you, quote, "smoked everyone in dodge-ball," unquote. Is this true?"

"Well, yeah." I said, wondering why he was so upset over this. "What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong?" He raised his voice, "What's wrong?!"

"Okay, never-mind." I quickly stated, "I don't want to know now."

"Alvin, I suck at dodge-ball!" I got the feeling that he was angry at me, so I just decided to go along with whatever he said, though I only listened to a brief amount. "You can't go around beating people at sports in my body! People will sense something's up."

"Look around!" I blurted, "People are already suspicious!" I shook my head at his desperateness at keeping things low, "Wait, how'd you find out so quick?"

"Everyone in this school has a cell phone, Alvin! News gets around pretty fast." We reached his locker and collected our things, passing a dance flier on the way.

"I wonder what it's going to be like." I thought out loud and Simon caught me staring at the flier.

"If you didn't mess up, you'd know." He stated.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with Jeanette?" I asked.

"Positive. If I was in my own body, I'd gladly say yes, but she has no clue that the one she asked isn't even the one she meant to ask."

"Are you jealous that I'd get to go with her?" I questioned his motives, "Because I'm jealous that you get to go with Brittany." I admitted that I wasn't exactly thrilled that Brittany's first dance with who she thought was Alvin wasn't going to be with me, but at least she still got to go. What was keeping Simon from letting me go with Jeanette?

"Now isn't the time, Alvin." Simon said through gritted teeth. He pushed me out the school door and to the awaiting car, already filled with Theodore and the chipettes.

"Are you guys okay?" Dave asked suspiciously as we jumped in, "You've been acting very unusual lately. Simon, you're usually the first one here, and I got word that you were late for most of your classes, what's up with that?"

"How'd you find out?" Simon asked.

"I have a cell phone." Dave replied, "News travels pretty fast."

"We're fine, Dave," I answered, hectic to get home, "What's with all the questioning?"

"No reason." Dave answered slowly, "I'm just worried." The conversation was over, replaced by most of the usual chatter of Theodore, Eleanor, and Brittany. It wasn't the same without my two-cents, but I wasn't me, and I controlled not breaking into the conversation. The ride home felt long and lasted even longer as we got stuck behind two trains. I watched Simon sit away from everyone else, ignoring Brittany's attempts to get his attention or Theodore's feeble attempts to actually bring him into the conversation. This wasn't good, he wasn't acting like me at all!

"Simon," I flinched as Jeanette touched my shoulder. "I think it's easier to answer things truthfully without everyone glaring at you," She moved her mouth closer and whispered meekly in my ear, "Do you… um… Do you want to go to the dance with me?" Oh, come on! This sucked! It already sucked that I had to turn her down once already, but now I had to do it again?! I wished I could accept, just to spare her feelings, but Simon was against it for some reason, and since he was my ticket to getting back to normal, I followed his plan. Doing it twice just sucked more.

"I'm sorry, Jeanette, "I whispered back, "I want to, I really do, but I just can't. I'm busy." Her eyes watered and were filled with hurt strong enough to scare me. She quivered, holding in her tears and if I ever had to do this a third time, I'd kill Simon. He owed me BIG time for making me do this. He owed Jeanette even bigger.

"You don't have to lie." She muttered under unstable breaths, "If you didn't want to, a s-simple no would have been enough." She sniffled and quietly shuffled over to the door; between everyone's chatter, and the volume of the radio Dave had playing, I could barely hear her single weep.

Home wasn't sweet home, and the minute we arrived I did my best to get alone with Simon to talk about his crisis. He started towards our room and he left as soon as he entered. Rather than following him down the hall, I peeked in to what was going on in the room. Brittany was sitting next to Jeanette and the two of them spoke.

"He still doesn't want to go with me." Jeanette softly cried into her sister's shoulder, "What am I doing wrong? Am I coming on too strong? Being too pushy or needy?"

"You're not doing anything wrong," Brittany cooed, "You want me to go talk to him? See what's up?" Jeanette didn't answer, or if she did, I couldn't hear it, it was so muffled. I heard a small thump; one of them had jumped off the bed and was coming this way. Uh oh… HIDE! I swerved my head to and fro, but in the middle of a hallway, there really wasn't anywhere to go. "There you are!" Brittany exclaimed and grabbed me by the collar of my hoodie and dragged me into the washroom, slamming the door behind her. "Okay, Simon, what's up?!"She said, infuriated, "Not once in my life have I ever seen you turn down Jeanette for anything, and now all of a sudden she asks you out and you say NO?! And because you're too ''busy'!Well I have something to say to that," She suddenly froze and I could tell she hadn't thought this intervention through. "What's up with that?" She added, trying to keep the seriousness in her voice.

"Look," I said, wanting to get today over, "I want to tell you, but I can't. Something really important has come up and-"

"More important than Jeanette?" Brittany cut me off.

"Yes!" I said, "I mean no!" I fumbled for words, "Any other time and I'd be all for it, but I can't go that day!"

"Does this have anything to do with that stupid science fair?" She asked and stared at me, squinting as if trying to peer into my soul.

"Kind of." I replied. It wasn't the truth, but I wasn't lying either.

"Simon!" She was angry and was probably doing her best to calm herself down, "Look, we've had heart to heart talks before, right?"

"We have?" I said, confused, and she looked at me, "We have!" I repeated, thinking that it was better if I just went along with whatever she said.

"Remember? Whenever I have I problem and my sisters are busy, I come to you. I even told you first about my feelings for Alvin. I've told you a lot actually, but now it's my turn to be the therapist."

"_She's talked to Simon about me?" _I thought, and my heart fluttered, _"Why didn't he ever tell me?"_

"What's bothering you, Si?" She asked, "What's keeping you from the best thing that could ever happen in your life?" I forgot I was Simon for a second as the question sunk in. Brittany would be the best thing in _my_ life, but what about Simon? I had to wonder if he thought the same way about Jeanette. The same thing was keeping us both from our chipette.

"A mistake." I whispered.

"Come again?"

"A stupid mistake that I made." I repeated and hopped up to the doorknob, turned it and left the washroom. Was this entire thing really my fault or was I over-thinking? I made the mistake of putting the formula into the wrong section, and now Simon was just trying to fix my mistake again. Only this time, rather than getting him into trouble, it was costing him Jeanette. He agreed to go to the dance with Brittany so I could still have my chance when we switched back. Jeez, even in my body he still acted more responsible than me. Perhaps too responsible. I couldn't let him do what he was doing, could I? Where was he now?

"Simon?" I whispered, searching through the house, hoping no one caught me calling out to myself. I circled back to our room and sure enough, there he was. No sign of Jeanette, no sign of Brittany, just him working on the transmitter. "Simon?" I questioned and he lifted his head up hitting it on the piece he was under.

"Ow!" He howled, "What do you want, Alvin?" I wanted to be back in my own body, but that was more of a long term goal at the moment, plus I had a few questions of my own to ask him.

"Why didn't you tell me you had talks with Brittany?" I asked the first question.

"Oh…" He silenced himself, or tried to anyway, "She wanted them to be a secret. She really likes you, Alvin, you have a real shot once we're back to normal."

"Thanks." I said and moved onto my next question, "Do you ever think about just dropping everything and having a little fun?"

"You mean like mathematical equations?" I slapped my hand against my forehead, only Simon would think that math was fun.

"No, I mean like real fun."

"Balancing chemical equations?"

"No!" I resisted kicking him while he lay on the ground and worked, "I mean like partying or dancing or even a video game!"

"That doesn't sound very fun."

"What do you like that's fun, then?" I asked, "That won't make me want to kill myself." He thought about this for awhile, was that honestly the look I got when I thought?

"Everything I like will either kill you or requires me to be in my own body. Alvin, I really just want to work on the transmitter. I'm making progress faster than I thought." Music to my ears.

"Just one more question," I stated, "Why are you pushing Jeanette away? Are you really jealous?" He stopped working and just lay there, thinking. With the see-through plastic being the only thing covering him, I could tell he was thinking about what to say.

"In a way… I guess you could say I'm jealous." He answered, "But not in the way you probably think. You see, I think that you only get one chance to show the girl of your dreams who you really are. And I don't want it to be you in my body being shown to Jeanette. I want her to see me for me, not you in my body. You could say I'm jealous, but only because you have the power to show not only Jeanette your side, but Brittany as well. I'm doing my best to act like you, Alvin, I really am, and I want you to have the best chance possible with Brittany. I don't want to go to the dance because it won't be you going to show Brittany who you are, but I'll go anyway, casually, so you'll still get your one chance, but I'll be there." Thinking about it, what he said makes sense… but what made him think like this? Simon was full of surprises.

"_Why is he doing all of this for me?"_ I thought. I drive him as insane as I drive Dave and I realized that I was probably the root cause of his stress.

"Alvin?" Simon asked.

"Yeah…?" I said, stuck thinking about everything he'd said.

"Do you think Jeanette will forgive me?"

"Probably." I lied. I didn't know what to tell him, "Why don't you take a break from work? I can show you how to play a video game."

"If I do that, nothing will get done." He said and mumbled to himself, "These wires get connected here, and now I just simply hammer this here."

"I don't care." I said, the words flowed out of my mouth without me intending to say them, "You need to relax."

"You really want to put this on hold?" He asked and gave me the look only he could give, but with my facial features, which didn't work very well. I nodded, "Okay, but how could you ever find those fun?"

"How could you find math fun?" I joked.

"How could you mess up so bad that we end up in each others body?" He joked back. I'd never hear the end of that. Touche, little brother, touche.

"Alvin!" Brittany exclaimed breaking into the room, "There you are… Er, are you working?" I watched Simon about to answer when she broke in, "Anyway, come with me, I need your help." She ripped Simon out from under the transmitter and dragged him out the room.

"Help me!" He screamed as if being dragged to his death. I smirked and left him to deal with Brittany alone. I stood there, gazing at the work he's done so far and ignoring his pleas for help. It already looked half done! How on Earth did he ever get the materials for it all? Oh well; a day and it was practically put together meant things were finally starting to light up. I touched the piece that he'd been working on, admiring how stable it was, when it dropped to the floor, spilling out all the wiring and making a mess.

"Aw, man." I I grumbled, running out of the room and hoping he wouldn't notice when he got back from his torturing with Brittany.


	6. Chapter 6

**News: Obviously this has taken a little longer than a week (Mea Culpa) but I try to update when I can. My story "Totally Munk'd Island" Is long and will probably take longer to do than expected (but voting has now officially opened for it) and What We Have is close to it's end so I'll update it later than expected. Happy Reading and Happy Writing. :)**

Simon's Point of View

There was never a time when I wished I could be back in my own body than the minute Brittany dragged me away. With her robot strength grip, I was pulled (forced) into the washroom and practically tied down, bound by a toilet paper roll. The room smelled of fruity perfume, choking me further, and rather than it being messy as usual, the only thing out of place was a heap of clothes in the middle of the room. I prayed they were Brittany's, but I doubt she owned three different colored tuxedos in my size… Alvin's size. This wasn't looking too good for me; whatever Brittany had up her sleeve, it involved me, several outfits, and my endless praying I wouldn't have to do anything drastic.

At first it wasn't so bad; she twirled around in the outfit she had on -a pink leather jacket and skirt- asked me what I thought of it, and switched into something else. It was only half an hour -and almost a dozen other outfits- later that I began to understand what Alvin meant by a woman's torture.

"Which one do you think I should wear to the dance?" She asked after each outfit. I couldn't remember half the names of the numerous amounts of clothing, if I could, I'd have been out of here half an hour ago, agreeing to the first outfit. I honestly didn't care what she wore, it didn't change the fact that I still had to go with her or the fact that no matter what she wore, she'd still get noticed.

"_Man, she's strong."_ I thought, trying to struggle my way out of her cardboard deathtrap. Was she going to such great lengths to torture me or was this how she and Alvin actually acted around each other? I don't recall either of them actually going on any dates, but for all I knew, Brittany tied Alvin up for fun all the time. All of this could have been avoided, however. At first when I was thrown in here, I was allowed to roam free and just follow her instructions of how to help her.

"I need help picking out an outfit for the dance." She had said, with no remorse or notice that she took me away from my work. Being in Alvin's body was like being on a roller coaster in a foreign carnival, you never knew what to expect. The groan I gave to her sounded like a no to me, but was a yes to her, and after she switched outfits for the first time, I tried to get away, but I was no escape artist. I made my attempts not once, but twice, and after the second time of catching me, I was bound by the roll with no way of getting out. It constricted my body enough to make it a pain to breathe. How did Alvin handle situations like this? Obviously I couldn't run and, not being as smooth-talking as Alvin, I couldn't talk my way out. Besides, with Brittany's… fearfulness, and constant yammering, I doubt I could have gotten a word in anyway. Did Alvin always just take whatever Brittany had to dish out? The next question: did he do it as a safety precaution, or was he just protecting Brittany's feelings?

"Um, Brittany," I breathed through the vice of cardboard roll and stopping her mid-sentence about how she loved her latest outfit, but thought it might be too dressy for a high-school dance, "Do you think that maybe you can let me out of this thing?" Knowing Brittany, she would have given a sinister giggle or even just ignore the question altogether, what I didn't expect was the saddened expression spread across her small face.

"I'm sorry," She squeaked as if she were in trouble, "Is it hurting you?" She hopped off her little catwalk -the floor mat- and ripped the roll off like it was nothing, like a tiny mosquito. I sympathized for her; she was upset for some reason and I felt that I caused it.

"Just my lungs." I laughed awkwardly, hoping to lighten the mood. I sucked in a deep breath of perfumed air and exhaled.

"Don't go." She said, wrapping her arms around me as I turned toward the door. Was that desperation I heard in her voice? Sadness? Loneliness? "Can't we spend some time together before the dance?" I wanted to tell her no, that I couldn't afford to do anything like that with her, but the sweet little puppy dog face she presented made me give in. I was stuck with her, whether I wanted to be or not. We were pretty good friends, but having her try to be romantic to me felt weird. Not in the good way. I wish I could have told her that I wasn't Alvin, but I didn't need her thinking he was a nut.

"Okay," I said, planting my feet firmly on the ground, "I'll stay, but why are you trying so hard?"

"I just want the dance to go perfectly." Her tone was the same as when she and I privately spoke, but it was somewhat more timid. This was not the Brittany that I saw every morning at the breakfast table. This Brittany was more timid. She thought she was telling Alvin her innermost feelings for the first time when really she was just telling me again. And why, out of ALL the opportunities to romanticize with my brother, does she choose that night of all nights? With my luck, I answered my own question, and that made me feel even worse about taking Alvin's spot. Of course the one time she decides to really make her move was the worst possible time. It's like the two times purposely synchronized to mess with me.

"Twelve outfits for one evening?" I asked without the understanding as to why she was going over the extra mile. My eyes flashed to the pile of outfits that she'd already tried on and rejected.

"What good is a dance if my date doesn't think I look good?" She looked down at her body, wearing a simple pink dress over her light brown fur, "I thought you'd like helping me."

"I do," I explained, "when it's voluntary." Was that something Alvin would say? Whatever, if it got me out of trouble with Brittany, I'd go with anything. She looked up as if realizing for the first time that she'd dragged me here against my will. I didn't receive an apology, but rather she just laughed. And laughed. And laughed. And laughed.

"Sorry." She laughed and I sensed it wasn't very sincere. "Here, try this on." She threw one of the tuxedos at me and then widened her eyes, "I mean, if you want to." It wasn't exactly an option for me. I rolled my eyes and put the red outfit on. I wasn't used to it being my color, but it fit nice and snug. "Hmm, that looks rather… dashing." Brittany cooed and I couldn't help but blush. She wasn't talking about me, but it was a rare occasion for a compliment to come my way. If she was this smooth-talking with Alvin, was Alvin the same way back?

"Thank you," I smiled, "Thank you, _Brit_. Surely you know you're pretty without having to go through all this trouble." Maybe being Alvin was easier than it seemed… around girls anyway. You just had to be nice to them, tell them things that would boost their self-esteem. It was true, Brittany was pretty, but I wish I could have been this easy-going with Jeanette. If I weren't Alvin right now… who knows what I'd be doing. I watched as Brittany's furry cheeks turn a light shade of red. She moved close enough for me to feel her hot breath and I had to use my full concentration to not pull back. This was too much. How could Alvin think I'd be able to tolerate going to a dance with her? She had no idea I was me; how far was she willing to go?

"You really think the dance will go perfect?" She whispered.

"_Depends on what you consider perfect."_ I thought, but nodded out of instinct. That was enough to get her to smile, enough for her to set me free. "That was disastrous." Alvin was _supposed _have it easy, but I guess being pegged by teachers as a slacker, and being in an awkward stage with the girl he liked had it's stresses.

I stepped into our room and found the wrecked part to the transmitter. No sign of Alvin, no sign of anyone. Of course it was Alvin who did this. Theodore, Eleanor, and Jeanette were too sweet to do something this evil or careless and I was with Brittany. My heart ached as if I'd just been dumped; what was his problem?! Was he trying to stay in my body forever! Did he have any idea how complicated this all was? The ways he infuriated me… He was lucky to be my brother.

"ALVIN!" I heard Dave's scream echo through the walls. What could I possibly be getting blamed for now? I grunted down each step, tripping on the last, but catching my balance. Dave and the others were at the table, ready for an early dinner. I found Alvin amongst them and glared at him, mouthing a few selective words. He sunk down in his spot on the table and grinned at me, guilt all over his face. Having everyone's eyes laid on me as I was the last to arrive was unnerving. Brittany's smile was still on her welcoming face from our previous conversation and Theodore's and Eleanor's eyes pleaded for me to hurry up. Jeanette's own heartbreaking eyes were dim as she dipped her head to her plate in an attempt to hide her crying, but I could see the little droplets. My heart lurched and my head ached at the very thought.

"Nice of you to join us, Alvin." Dave remarked as I gradually hopped up to my spot on the table.

"Sorry, I wasn't hungry." I lied, tired of dealing with everyone for today. I still had to yell at Alvin for making me have to redo the processor for the transmitter. I just wish I could sleep. Being Alvin was hard, and I wondered how he did what he did on a daily basis.

"Are you feeling sick?" Dave asked, concerned quickly for his son.

"He can't be!" Brittany burst out then quietly sat back. Lately our family dinners were starting to get disturbing with all of these outbursts. Oh, how I longed for everything to return to normal. "I mean… We have the dance in two days, he can't be sick for that."

"Can we please just eat?" Jeanette piped up and with that, sat back with the authority of having said the last words through the main course of our meal. Awkward…

"Alvin?" Alvin spoke up, breaking the deathly silence. I gave him a deranged look; did we not have a plan of laying low, only talking when it was necessary? "I was thinking that maybe we could play a video game later in our room." He winked at me and my eye twitched, what the heck was he talking about?! "You know, that one where that one guy and the other guy _switch bodies_? Clueless. Whatever he was wanting, he wasn't good at asking for it.

"Since when do you play video-games, Simon?" Brittany asked with an edge in her voice, making Alvin the center of attention.

"Oh, uh," He fumbled, "just trying to spend some bonding time with my brother." It was instantly quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Was he out of his freaking mind?! Way to make me sound sane! "Er, one second." He rolled his eyes and grabbed my arm, pulling me off to the edge of the dining area.

"Don't you know Morse code when you it?" He whispered viciously.

"In what world is that Morse code?!" I argued, "This is Morse code!" I tapped on the wall, paused, and tapped again. "How the heck do you get video-game brother bonding from Morse c ode?!" He stopped arguing for a second, looking back to see if everyone was staring at or ignoring us. Five pairs of eyes pierced our way, making my skin crawl, and I got the feeling that after all of this me and Alvin would be forced into years of therapy.

"Whatever!" He said, turning his attention back to me, "That was supposed to be a cue, a way to get us alone upstairs so we could get more time to work on the machine."

"You mean the machine that you broke AGAIN!" I pointed out, "And how was I supposed to get that from playing video-games? We don't even have any in our room!" Did Alvin ever think about something before letting it out to the public? We dragged ourselves back to our seats and smiled at our confused family.

"I want you both to stay home from school tomorrow," Dave announced, "You're clearly ill with something and I want you to rest." Perfect! Even when Alvin didn't know what he was doing, he still knew what he was doing. Finally we caught a break! Dinner was almost pleasant with the great news, something that hadn't been felt since before our switch. A nice dinner with almost no flaws. Jeanette's feelings still hung in my mind, though. Was I making the right decisions? Was I being selfish? I couldn't let her go on a date with someone in my body who wasn't me. And I certainly couldn't tell her. She'd think I was a nutcase. I'd find some way to make all of this up to her, even if it cost me my life. Dinner quickly ended at six and by five after, me and Alvin were "playing video-games" in our room.

"Do – Not – Touch!" I ordered my brother over and over again, "You touch the neurotransmitter again, and I will kill you."

"Okay okay, I get it." He replied, "Any way I can help speed things along?" I thought about it. I didn't want him anywhere near the transmitter, he wasn't aloud anything to do with it, but maybe something else? Something that would help us both in this sucky experience.

"Guide me through what you want me to do at the dance." I said, "Better yet, show me how to be you."

"What do you mean?" He asked, "As long as you stop acting so uptight you should be fine." Ha! If only that were true! If that was all it took, I wouldn't have asked for help.

"Alvin, you and I both know I suck at being you, and goodness knows you're terrible at being me." He nodded as if this were old news to him, "I suggest acting lessons."

"Acting lessons for what?" Brittany broke in, striding into the room cheerfully, "I knew you two weren't playing video-games. Simon, you liar, you're starting to act like Alvin."

"Told you." I smirked and ignored Brittany's presence.

"Okay, fine, but only if you help me too."

"What are you two talking about?" Brittany examined our faces with her own questioning look and stepped back from the machine.

"Nothing." My brother and I replied.

"So transparent," She muttered with a smile and turning to me, "Alvie," She purred. Alvie? Oh, jeez, "remember our little chat earlier about how the dance would be perfect?" I wanted to laugh at Alvin's new nickname, but being Alvin, that would probably just backfire.

"Oh, um, yeah, Brit, I remember." I tried to say in a cool I-don't-care sort of manner without sounding hurtful. "What about it?"

"Oh, nothing," She smiled brightly, practically lighting up the whole room, "I was just thinking that there's probably going to be plenty of time to kiss." I choked on my own breath and pride of almost sounding like Alvin.

"W-What?" I gulped and faced my brother, who was readjusting his glasses out of shock. Brittany strolled out the door, almost too happily. "W-What?" I repeated, asking more the air around us than Alvin.

"I think you're going to need a lot more than acting lessons." He muttered.


	7. Chapter 7

Alvin's Point of View

"What on Earth just happened?" I questioned as me and Simon continued to stare at the door mesmerized by the ghostly feeling with the feint scent of Brittany's favorite fruity perfume. I thought I'd be able to help Simon with anything that he needed; how to act like me, how I could fix the mistakes I made with the machine, even how to get Dave off his back, but two minutes with Brittany and it felt like all hope was lost. How could I let Simon kiss her without her throwing up? That was supposed to be my kiss, not his.

"Still think I should go to the dance?" Simon said, like he could read my mind. I wanted to tell him no, but I couldn't let him ditch Brittany, not now, not after all of her expectations. She expected a kiss. She wanted a kiss. I would let her get her kiss, no matter how painful it was.

"I don't think you have a choice." I replied and he sighed.

"I guess I don't," He whined, "With her attitude, with her attitude, she'll probably drag me the entire way there." It's true that Brittany was a little… forceful, but how was that not at all appealing to him? If he couldn't at least act like he was having a good time with her, then we'd both be dead; I'd kill him, and Brittany would kill me. What about girls made Simon so cranky and shy? Sure, he was always a little grumpy, but how come he gave me the toughest challenge in the world: making him fun? How could I possibly do that when he wouldn't give anything fun a chance?

Simon, still in shock from Brittany's last words, walked over to his machine and picked up the remote, unharmed and probably the only part of the machine that was fully functional. I was certain I knew what he was thinking -that seemed to happen a lot ever since the switch- he wanted us and everything else to be back to normal as much as I did. He wanted to be able to work his own brainy way and slowly get nowhere with Jeanette his own dorky way. I wanted to be my smooth self getting him in trouble my own accidental way and to get everywhere with Brittany in my own charming body. We've been brothers all our lives and yet we could barely make it a day in the others shoes without getting sent to a psychologist or ending the world and our separate reputations.

"I guess we start first thing in the morning." He stated and dropped the remote to the ground. I watched it fall, the light wasn't shining "Ready for use" like the first time I saw it. The way he dropped it… I couldn't tell if he was happy or sad or angry; the blank expression on his face was like the one I always got in math class, unknowing and uncaring.

"Agreed," I nodded, "but Si?" He turned to me, "your first lesson: relax." He rolled his eyes and hopped out of the room and I followed. Time for bed. According to Dave, we were sick, and sick munks went to bed early. Ha, Simon's lessons were going to be easy! Look at me, I can totally be responsible.

"Okay, guys, get plenty of rest." Dave said, covering me and my brothers with a small blanket.

"Yes, Dave." We all said and watched the chipettes climb the stairs. Brittany practically skipped up them, Eleanor right behind her. Jeanette slumped over and hopped up each one without paying attention as to whether she tripped or not.

"Goodnight!" I shouted and Jeanette looked back with a weak smile. I nudged Simon and he shouted the same, followed by Theodore. The three chipettes looked back and said goodnight back. Dave turned out the lights and followed the chipettes upstairs to tuck them in. We were growing up, but that was something any of us would never get tired of.

"Simon?" Theodore's voice rasped in my ear and I drowsily peeked one eye open. He was referring to me, wasn't he? Now?! It couldn't have been any later than two in the morning. "Simon, I-I had a nightmare…" I popped my other eye open, no doubt that was Theodore. Even through Simon's blurred vision and the darkness of the room I could make out my youngest brother's light fur, green pajama shirt, and… thickness. I couldn't ignore my baby brother, he'd just had a nightmare, not mention he'd already seen me open my eyes.

"What about?" I asked, feigning any actual interest.

"I-I dreamt that you and Alvin would be sick forever, and that you'd never get better and always act so…"

"Crazy?" I finished his sentence for him and he nodded timidly, "Theo, I know what you're feeling -really I do- I've had that dream for the past couple of days, and I am tired of it. But me and Simon are perfectly fine. We aren't sick, and we aren't loco. We're just two chipmunks that have reached a really stressful time in their lives."

"I think Dave talked about that once," He replied, "Remember? 'I know you guys are curious'-"

"No no!" I quickly interrupted, "Not that, it's just been busy." I yawned and prayed that Theodore was out of fears and questions for the night.

"Um, one more thing, "He requested, "why did you call Alvin Simon?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, too tired for this. I thought back and recalled what I'd said before. _"Me and Simon are perfectly fine."_ Aw, crud…

"Before, you-" He started, but I cut him off before he got even more suspicious.

"I don't remember that." I blinked.

"But I heard you say 'Simon' earlier." He insisted.

"No I didn't."

"Um, yes you-" I cut him off again.

"Nope. Nuh uh, no, no, no, no, and, let me think, no." He gave me a fearful look, then squinted, as if he was trying to study me. He took a step back on the recliner and all I could hear was Simon's soft snoring. "Theo, I think you're just tired. Go back to sleep."

"Okay…" He breathed slowly and shuffled a few inches away from me. Eyes closed, soft breathing, I finally got to sleep.

I just wish I could have slept in like any other day off from school. This time, I barely remembered falling asleep. The second I heard the hustle and bustle of everyone other than Simon and me getting ready for school, I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back into dreamland.

"Everyone ready to go?" Dave asked and everyone lined up at the door. "Alvin, Simon. You both going to be alright while I take them?" We nodded groggily and looked at the other chipmunks, bright eyed, bushy tailed, and (mostly) excited for school.

"Bye, guys, I hope you feel better." Eleanor said cheerfully and hopped out the door and toward the car.

"Bye, Alvie." Brittany winked and followed her sister.

"H-Hope you get better soon." Jeanette whispered, giving me a somewhat sympathetic look, and hopping out.

"I'll make you soup when I get home!" Theodore exclaimed and ran out, followed by Dave, who sent us to our room, telling us to rest in the Chipette's beds. Dave was wrong to trust that we would rest, he had no way of enforcing the rule unless he would come up and check on us. Otherwise, we had the opportunity for some acting lessons.

"Si, you're probably in a worse situation than I am; I'll train you first." I said. I wasn't trying to be suttle, he needed my help and I was more than willing to give it to him, "And since you're worried most about the dance, lets focus on how you are with girls." I explained this, knowing it would be a long lesson. I thought I saw him shiver and I guess it was understandable. Girls were NOT his thing; the most experience he had was "cute" flirting with Jeanette, but now he was me, and now he'd have to munk up his game. "Lets work on your dancing for, you know, the dance." I said, "More specifically, slow dance." He stood there with his blank expression.

"Slow dance?" He asked, "What's slow dancing?" I thought he was kidding, but with the expression practically glued on his face, I felt warm finally being able to explain something that he had no idea about. He was supposed to be the smart one, but now it was my time to shine. How could he have not have heard of slow dancing?!

"It's dancing in slow motion." I joked, but regretted it immediately. Despite me laughing at my own genius, his hard expression told me that he was taking me seriously. He started to move around, using some of the moves we'd used during previous performances, but slower. This was just sad, so sad I couldn't even laugh.

"How do I do the flip in slow motion?" He questioned and studied the ground with hiss eyes. That was too much.

"Uh, Si?" I said, "I was only kidding." His cheeks flushed and the embarrassment leaked out of him like a water bottle without a cap.

"Well then what's slow dancing?!" He squeaked, ending his awkward movements.

"Do I really have to show you?" I complained, thinking about how weird it would be. I mean, he was my brother, I wouldn't be able to even look him in the eyes.

"Would you please?" He uttered, "Wait, why do I even need to learn to slow dance? I thought I wasn't going to do anything with Brittany."

"It's a dance," I informed, "You don't really get a say." I stared at him, focused on his form and he groaned, accepting his fate. I accepted my own, having to be his teacher of what was sure to be an awkward experience.

"Just teach me how to slow dance." He mumbled. This was going to be more miserable than attending Simon's physics class.

"Okay, pretend I'm Brittany." I said.

"Why?"

"Because slow dancing is usually done with a boy and a girl." I answered.

"But why are you Brittany?"

"Because you need to learn the guy portion." Did he really have to make everything so complicated?

"Okay, you're Brittany."

"Good, now follow my lead. By the way, the guy usually takes the lead."

"Then why are you taking the lead?"

"To teach you."

"But you're Brittany."

"Simon… Don't make me kill you." I was getting really annoyed. Was this what he was like in class whenever he learned something new? Poor teachers. "Now follow my freaking lead." He nodded, shrugging his shoulders, but looked disgusted when I moved his hands on my waist and wrapped my arms around his neck. Being the taller one in this situation only made this more uncomfortable. I regretted agreeing to teach him this.

"I'm not enjoying this, Alvin." Simon whined.

"Oh yeah, cause I'm doing this because I love the thrill." I said sarcastically, "We both just have to suck it up."

"Fine…" He grumbled.

"Now slow dancing is basically just rocking back and forth." I began doing so with my brother and he seemed to catch on pretty quickly.

"How is this a dance?" He asked.

"I have no idea." I admitted, "I just know girls find it romantic."

"A baby could do this." He belittled.

"Well you could always spice things up a bit with a twirl or a dip." I explained, unwrapping my arms and taking his hand and twirling him under my arm and bringing him back, dipping him so his face hung upside-down staring at the empty doorway. "Now you try." We switched to our first position and he took my hand, awkwardly twirling me under his arm and back for a dip.

"What exactly are you guys doing?" Dave questioned us as he stood through the doorway. If it wasn't awkward before, it was awkward now.

"Uh… Nothing?" I said and Simon dropped me, "Oof!"

"You're just dreaming, Dave." Simon said hopefully.

"I hope so…" Dave muttered and walked away, holding his head.

"Okay," I coughed, "I think you have the dancing down, except for the drop at the end, believe me you do not want to do that to Brittany. At the end, rather than dropping your partner, you could give her a kiss."

"Excuse me?!" He yelled, crossing his arms.

"Brittany did say you two would be kissing." His eyes went wide with fear.

"Oh no! No no no no no!" He was practically screaming the word out and he held up his hands as if to protect himself, "I am not kissing her!"

"Why not?" I cried. She wanted a kiss.

"We clearly have two completely different views: I don't want you anywhere near Jeanette because you're not me, but you seem to want me to fill in for you for whatever reason. I am willing to go to a dance with Brittany, but I am NOT going to kiss her!"

"Oh come on!" I pleaded, "I'm doing what you ask, can't you just do this for me?"

"Can't I just pretend I'm actually sick?"

"No!" I said, "She wouldn't care and frankly, neither would I."

"But, Alvin-" He tried to say, but I stopped him.

"Please? It'd mean a lot to me AND Brittany." I begged, "If you can find a way to dodge it without hurting her, than be my guest, but if not, then I need you kiss her." I stared into his eyes, not caring about how desperate I sounded, I needed to be able to count on him.

"O-Okay…" He sighed, "But nothing more than a peck!" Oh sure, he knew what a peck was -barely counting as a kiss- but he didn't know about slow dancing.

"Okay, fine." I agreed, "Do you need any practice?"

"With what?"

"Kissing."

"Excuse me?!" He sounded repulsed. Hurtful, bro.

"Well not to toot my own horn," I boasted, "but I am a pretty good kisser."

"No I don't need any practice!" He replied, pushing me away, "Anything else I need to know in order to be you?" I thought about myself and all of my qualities: good with girls, check! Next up: have fun.

"You need to learn how to truly have fun." I explained, "And with that, you'll also learn how to handle getting into trouble." He swallowed as if he knew what I had planned next.

"You mean…?" He started, but couldn't bring himself to finish.

"That's right, bro," I said, "You and I are gonna sneak out." I smiled evilly as the thought entered my head, "Just like we did to get the formula, except this time we'll do something fun."

"I don't have a choice, do I?" He asked and I shook my head.

"You have the makings of an evil mastermind," I said, wrapping my arm around his shoulder, "All we gotta do is unleash it."

"Uh… Yeah, not going to happen," He said, "But if I have to sneak out again, I will if I must." He breathed deeply, "But first," He walked over to the closet and pulled out a thick book, "your turn to start acting like me." He tossed me the book and I stared at the cover which read, "The Basics of Chemistry." He took another book from the closet and threw it my way. This one read, "The Beginner's Guide to Engineering." "I'm going to need you to learn the basics if you're going to act like me AND help with the transmitter." He stated. I was touched by his trust in me, but that warm feeling quickly went away as reality set in. I had to read two five hundred page books that practically crushed me with their weight.

"_This is not going to be fun." _I thought, flipping through the chemistry book, _"Dang it… No pictures."_


	8. Chapter 8

Simon's Point of View

Alvin is absolutely, positively, without a doubt impossible to work with or teach! All day I've been forcing him to read and all day I've gotten "One sec, Si, these books take time" and "But I'm tired" and I was sick of it! Within the first hour of his reading session he'd read through a single page, and I had no idea if he started with the table of contents. Books and Alvin, learning altogether and Alvin mixed as well as a vegetarian and a carnivore. Not only did I have to pronounce most of the words for him, but he didn't even attempt to show interest _and_ he kept trying to find ways to get out of studying. He was a true slacker, but he was also in my body, which meant that he'd have to change his his whole lifestyle as much as I did, and that meant study. IT was already noon and I'd managed to coax him into reading the first chapter. If he paid any attention, he should know at least the difference between an atom and an ion.

I knew he wouldn't be able to remember these things so easily, but couldn't he at least act like he cares about this stuff? Couldn't he take any of this seriously? That was part of being me after-all! Responsibility, doing my best, no slacking off. All of it was key to who I was, who I am, and who I intent to be.

"I don't know why you're so worked up, Si," Alvin said, stifling a yawn, "It's not like I've done anything significant that anyone will notice. I'm a good actor. I could totally be you without all this hassle." Was he freaking kidding? In one day he's probably changed my whole image at school!

"You've made me a dodge-ball legend!" I exclaimed.

"That's a bad thing?" He exasperated, "I'm making you popular! You should be thanking me."

"Oh, gee, that isn't suspicious at all!" I countered, "Simon Seville, book nerd to sports legend in a single day?! Not to mention the changes you've made in how Jeanette sees me!" It's been painful to even look at her, knowing that she was so hurt and probably just as confused.

"Hey, that's not entirely my fault." He argued, "I mean, yeah, I guess I didn't think through the sports thing and messed up a little, but you're as much to blame for Jeanette as I am." I wish I could have debated against him about that, but I knew he was right; whatever it was that Jeanette and I had before, it was going down the drain fast than water. This whole Jeanette thing was practically eating me alive, maybe my own views weren't what really mattered. Maybe it would be better for Alvin to take her and for him to act out my one chance. Alvin looked at me sympathetically through my glasses and I looked back into my own blue eyes, "Si, take my advice," I pricked my ears, what advice could the self-called 'love doctor' have to give me? "Just follow your heart, bro." That's it? That's the best he had to give?! I could have told myself that! Heck, that's what I've been doing and look where that's gotten me! I should have foreseen that though, just because Alvin tried, it didn't mean that he'd actually helped. Take the transmitter for example; he's "trying" to help out and study, but the pain in my gut told me that he was going to mess it up somehow, AGAIN. I wasn't even one hundred percent sure I wanted his help with the machine, was it really smart to trust Alvin with the responsibility of helping me rebuild this delicate machine? Lately he hasn't been very dependable.

"How much of this book do I have to read?" He whined, flipping another page and groaned at the probable five-hundred words on the one side.

"Both of those books should be done as soon as possible." I explained, gesturing to the second book that he hadn't even started yet, "The sooner, the better. And make sure you're actually paying attention, we want all the information ingrained in your hippocampus."

"Huh?" Clueless, I guess I should watch my vocabulary if I'm Alvin. "English please?"

"We want you to be able to remember all of it."

"Then why not just say that?!" He complained.

"You need to sound smart too!"

"I sound plenty smart."

"See, right there!" I caught him.

"What?"

"That was terrible grammar."

"For Munk's sake, Si, no one's gonna notice how I'm talking." It was hopeless, sure maybe he was right about the talking thing, but everything else… Once I got back into my own body, there'd be no hope for me. Alvin wasn't stupid, but I was for thinking he could be taught how to be as smart as me and I had many doubts that he could handle helping me with rebuilding my precious science fair project. I could get it done alone, that I knew, but with my restricted time frame, it'd cost me a few sleepless nights. "Can we stop and just sneak out and have some fun already?" He grumbled, "You need help more than I do. Kissing is supposed to be fun and let's face it, you're not fun."

"I'll try not to take that as an insult." I muttered, a little hurt at the mockery my brother continued to bestow upon me. Surely if you knew the functions of kissing -which, after forced to read one of Brittany's magazines that Alvin stole, I did- then you could pull off a kiss. Especially one that would have no meaning other than to please my brother and his hopes-to-be girlfriend. "And, by the way, kissing Brittany is a last resort survival tactic." I don't know why I actually agreed to do it in the first place, but I did. Perhaps pity for my older brother.

"Whatever, let's go! I'm pretty sure that after what Dave saw, he won't be bothering us anytime soon."

"I'm pretty sure that after what Dave saw we'll be forced to therapy, wither that or he'll never talk to us again." I said, jeez that was awkward. "Besides, you need to read those books." I urged him, badgered him, but how could I force him to read? I even pushed his head down to the pages of the open one in front of him.

"Tell you what," Alvin proposed, pushing my hands away, "if we sneak out and have some fun, I'll read both books, cover to cover, without stopping." He even sounded enthusiastic about it.

"Now you're starting to sound like me!" I smiled. I didn't believe he'd actually do it, but at least he was developing my sort of attitude towards books. I stuck out my paw, and shook his, "You have a deal."

"Awesome!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Let's go!" I signed up for a death wish, knowing that this day was never going to end. I leaped to the window ledge after him and caught myself as a cool blast of air hit me hard, nearly knocking me over. "Where to?" He grabbed my shoulders excitedly.

"You want me to choose?" I stammered and he nodded, "I-I don't know, you're the expert."

"Where do you think we should go?" This was a test, his way for me to prove I could be him. Bu I didn't know where to go, I didn't want to choose a place that would cause me to have flashbacks of whatever havoc we would cause every time I went there. School and the library were definitely out. The zoo? I was already scared to go there, this trip couldn't possibly scar me any more than almost getting eaten by an eagle.

"Let's go to the zoo." I suggested and a wide grin was plastered on my brothers face, making me realize why I was not the evil one. I did not look good with a devilish smile.

"Let's do it."

The large metal gate that kind of resembled the entrance to a graveyard or a prison towered over us, and the statue lions at the top glared down as if they were real and knew that their next meal was only eight feet below them. The smell of thousands of animals fur blew all the way here at the entrance, and the outer border of the zoo was deserted of people. Then again, the outside of any zoo was always scarier looking than the inside with all the animals and people. The outside as a whole reminded me of a haunted mansion, but I knew that passed these large steel gates, passed the entrance booth, and passed the horrific gift shop that always wanted to smuggle you a "good deal" there were fifty acres of animals in cages, families studying them, and booths with either knick knacks or mini-donuts.

"Ready to have some fun?" Alvin asked, but I got the feeling that was a rhetorical question. I swallowed and dashed through the gates on all fours and sneaked past the entrance booth where normally we'd have to pay to enter, and past the gift shop. I followed my brother down the stone path and towards the first animal exhibit: reptiles.

"Y-You know, Alvin," I shivered, "some reptiles eat chipmunks." The thought of getting eaten again terrified me. And snakes ate their food whole, being digested would really hurt. Not to mention I wouldn't get to see Jeanette again.

"Relax, bro," How could he always so chill? It was more annoying than anything, he never took any precautions, he just went with the flow half the time and the other half was when he was getting into trouble. "It's not like we're going inside their little pit, we're just paying them a visit.

"But I think I read somewhere that some zoos have an open snake pit…" I trembled at the thought. Heaven forbid there's an opening to our death.

"Well, maybe this one doesn't." Alvin tried to reassure me, but to no prevail, "Besides, the walls are probably slick with grease or something so the snakes can't get out."

"_That doesn't mean we can't get in."_ I thought. Alvin shrugged off my pathetic fear like it was nothing and perked up at the sight of a mini-donut vendor.

"Hey, let's snag some snacks."

"_Who puts a donut vendor in the reptile exhibit?" I wondered, "Doesn't that violate some kind of health code?" _Up at the vendor, a large bald man stood with tongs, a deep fryer, and several bags which would probably filled and sold by the end of the day. Funny, he didn't smell like donuts. Casually, Alvin and I hopped up on the cart and looked directly at the man.

"Two mini-donuts," Alvin said and I nudged him, "Oh, uh, please." He smiled. When the man didn't get them, Alvin reached to a tray and grabbed one for himself. The man, as if he didn't hear us screamed as he looked down.

"Mary!" He called to someone behind him amongst a large crowd, "Two of 'em escaped!"

"So feed Henry!" A harsh voice shouted back and before I knew it, I was hanging upside down -always by the freaking tail!

"Wait, what?!" I interjected, "What did she just say?"

"Dude, don't you see our sweaters?" Alvin tried to reason with the man, but I caught a quick glance at the side of his head; earphones… I had the feeling we were about to meet Henry.

"He's not listening." I sighed and looked in the direction the man was carrying us to. "Uh oh, open pit, open pit, open pit!" I shouted and the man threw us in, twenty feet down.

"Ugh, you okay, Si?" Alvin asked and I grunted, "What's the point of being famous if no one recognizes you?"

"Shh!" I snapped and we shot up to our feet, back to back.

"Where do you think the snakes are?" Alvin whispered. _Hiss… _"Simon, not funny!"

"That wasn't me!" I insisted, "It came from over there." I pointed to my left -his right- and we kept watch. _Hiss… "Okay, that did NOT come from over there."_ _Hiss…_We slowly looked at each other as we heard shuffling behind us. "It's behind us, isn't it?"

"I'd rather not look, thank you very much." _Hiss…_We instinctively turned around and I nearly fainted when the sixteen foot long albino snake slithered closer to us with it's forked tongue poking out like it was licking it's lips before a meal. "Heh, you must be Henry…" Alvin sighed lightly and held up the pastry, "mini-donut?" The snake hissed violently, "Ah! Okay, guess not…"

"Alvin," I breathed, "No sudden movements."

"Duh…" He whispered back. "We're gonna die, aren't we?"

"Probably." I stated and looked around slowly as the snake measured us. Far on the other side of the pit was a branch, angled upwards towards the top of the wall. It was close enough for us to be able to jump out, at least, I hoped it was. "Psst," I spat at me then followed my gaze to the branch.

"All the way over there?" Alvin hesitated, "Aw, man…"

"Alvin," I whispered sharply, "when I give the signal, throw the donut at the snake."

"What's the signal?" He asked.

"Now!" I shrieked and dashed towards the branch with Alvin right behind me. Turning back, I watched the snake devour the donut with ease and start it's way to us. "Run! Run! Run!" I panted and we bolted up the branch. This was easier than I thought, but we weren't safe yet. Alvin reached the edge first and jumped powerfully up to the ledge of the wall, pulling himself up.

"Come on, Simon!" He shouted and without thinking I jumped with all my might. Closer and closer to the wall, I slipped on the side and hung only by the hand that Alvin threw out to catch me. "Jeez, do I really weigh this much?" He groaned as he slowly tried to pull me up.

"You can go on a diet later!" I shouted, "Just pull me up!" With my body's upper body strength, at first I had doubts I was going to live, but I was wrong, and now I owed Alvin my life, or, at the very least, an apology. He'd saved my life, maybe he could be a little responsible, even though this whole sneaking out thing was his idea.

"Ha ha!" Alvin laughed down at the snake who hovered up in hopes of reaching it's meal.

"Alvin!" I yelled as if we were still being chased, "Let's get the heck out of here!" The snake lunged upwards, but with no luck.

"Ah!" Alvin screamed and bolted ahead of me. "There is something seriously wrong with this zoo!" He remarked as we left the area and ten seconds later without stopping to catch our breath, the zoo.

"Home!" We gasped and kissed the hardwood floor. Not once the entire run home had we stopped, for fear that there was a munk eating snake chasing us, and now I was exhausted. I collapsed to the ground as I caught my and Alvin jumped to the sink, turned on the tap, and began to practically drown himself with the rushing water.

"Alvin," I croaked, "study those books like your life depends on it… Cause… It… Does…"

"Hey, fellas," Dave called and walked into the kitchen, "I was thinking- whoa!" The sight probably didn't look good. Two exhausted chipmunks, one on the ground while the other gulped down a waterfalls worth of water. "If you guys are that tired, why not just take a nap in the chipettes beds?"

"I… Just… Might… Dave." I said between breaths

"Maybe you guys really are sick. Hey, I know! How 'bout we pack a lunch and we can go to the zoo for some fresh air?"

"NO!"


	9. Chapter 9

**(I understand that scene changes, or the way I do them, don't show up. I'll be putting scene change* from now on, if this annoys readers, let me know and I'll stop.)**

Alvin's Point of View

Studying absolutely sucks. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I'll say it a million times; I'll shout it to the heavens! Studying sucks! S-U-C-K-S! I've literally been studying all night, reading page after page in the engineering mechanics book -honestly, the chemistry was pointless to even attempt to learn, there's no possible way that I'll remember any of it- and by the end of the night, six o'clock in the morning and following my deal with Simon, I had actually finished the book! Endless reading -more than I'd ever done in my life!- paid off, and best of all: I understood it. Chemistry was blah blah blah with every other word being unpronounceable, but engineering, that was easy. Screw a dew-hickey here, attach these two wires there and bam! Done!

Reading all night, I doubt I would have been able to sleep anyway. The whole zoo thing scared the fur off of me. Who in their right mind puts a donut vendor with the reptiles?! Oh, yeah, not to mention I almost got eaten by Henry, stupid snake… That entire experience sucked as much as studying, it was supposed to teach Simon how to have fun, not scar him -and me- for life. If I ever go to the zoo again, that will be the day…Who am I kidding? I'm never going back to that deathtrap. I needed to think of a new way that I could teach Simon to have fun, whether it was before or after the dance because I'm certain that, unless he messes up completely with her, Brittany will really get, um… flirtatious.

Right now, it's the day of the dance, which meant I would most likely be teaching Simon afterward. No worries, no worries, shouldn't be a problem as long as Simon acts at least a little like me and not at all like himself. I couldn't think about any of that now, I was exhausted. I guess little sleep will do that to you. I wish I could sleep, really I do, but Brittany was LOUD at the breakfast table. As everyone sat in their spots, eating a healthy breakfast that consisted of only toaster waffles, Brittany blabbed on and on about her excitement.

"Tonight's the big night!" She squealed, too thrilled to notice Jeanette's sighs, "It's gonna be so fun!"Her voice pitched to a point where everyone, including Dave, had to cover their ears, "Alvie?" Ugh, I may not be myself, but that didn't stop me from hating that nickname.

"Hm?" Simon lifted his head, "Oh uh, yes, Brittany?" He was really out of it too. Although I wasn't sure if that was from almost dying or the fact that he would be going to the dance with Brittany tonight and not Jeanette.

"Meet me at my locker after school. I have a surprise for you." Okay, even I didn't know what that meant, it could be anything from some kind of divine torture to a simple kiss on the cheek, or even a kick in the shin.

"Oh, joy." Simon muttered without any enthusiasm, or concern for that matter. I understood his feeling, but I didn't know exactly what he felt… If that makes sense. Was it wrong for me to be distant from my own brother like that?

"What was that?" Brittany spat testily. From ecstatic to suspicious in two words, a second and a half. Brittany is the most feisty chipette I know.

"I mean, I can't wait." Simon corrected himself, acting as if he'd never said anything beforehand. You _always_ had to be careful with Brittany; she could have a hot temper at times, but I found it pretty hot, the good hot. I guess that's just me, though.

"So I'm guessing that I don't need to pick anyone up until later tonight?" Dave asked with a smile. I took a head count. Simon would be stuck with Brittany, Theodore and Eleanor informed us all that they were helping to set up before changing at school. I still couldn't believe Eleanor had Munk'd up the courage to ask Theodore to the dance; that was almost as unbelievable as Jeanette asking Simon. All of the action going on about the dance left me and Jeanette to find a way home.

"I'm," Jeanette stammered, "I'm walking home."

"Are you sure?" Dave asked and Jeanette nodded, making Dave turn to me, "And you, Simon?"

"Yeah," I said, then muffled my own words by stuffing my face with a toaster waffle. I was probably going to hear about this from Simon later, but hey, I was hungry, "I'll… walk… too."

"Alright then," Dave said, "well thanks to the dance, and Simon and Jeanette's willingness to walk home, I get to attend a meeting that might get you guys signed for a huge concert. I won't be home when you two get here. You'll be okay, won't you?" Wait, did my ears deceive me? Was Dave seriously trusting _me_ to be home without him?

"You bet!" I squeaked, overwhelmed by Dave's trust, _"Wait, I'm Simon,"_ I thought, _"No wonder he's treating me like an adult."_ Oh well, it felt good to be trusted so I didn't have to be watched by my dad, even if it meant stealing that trust from my brother.

"Love the enthusiasm, Si." Dave admired, "Just don't blow up the house with your machine; I think I'm still cleaning out pieces from the attic from your first explosion." Of course, the one time Simon gets in trouble and _I'm_ him.

"_No promises."_ I thought, but just smiled at him as my response.

"Everyone done?" He asked, and each of us nodded, "Okay, off to school!"

***Scene change***

Welcome to the worst class in the history of school: physics. As I entered the classroom at the sound of the bell (I actually showed up on time!) I found myself sitting next to a distressed Jeanette. She gave me a fraction of a smile as I approached, but as positive as she usually was, I knew her heart wasn't in it.

"Okay, class," The teacher began his lesson, "back to our unit of motion and-"

"_Blah blah blah…"_ I got lost in my own mixed thoughts, _"Will this class ever end?" _I looked at the clock, I looked at the clock, nine exactly, only fifty minutes to go before I was out of here. _Only_. Fifty minutes, the fact that I'd even be getting out of here would have lifted my spirits had Simon's second period class not been math. Math is the kind of course where it almost ties with physics, but math was part of chemistry and engineering too, the topics that would fix everything.

"Simon?" Jeanette whispered, hopping over to my desk. The teacher didn't seem to mind; his two star students having an enticing conversation about… what did smart people talk about? Didn't matter, it wasn't actually smart, but the teacher continued lecturing, "Are you okay? You look like you're about to pass out." Guess I need to work on my facial expressions.

"I'm just bored." I admitted. Knowing Simon, he would be too. He didn't need this "easy" course.

"Yeah, I already know all of this too." She said, a hint of cockiness in her tone. Wow, was she ever getting the wrong idea; I didn't mean boredom from going through this _again_, I meant boredom from having to go through this at all. I knew nothing! "So the dance is tonight; it's all anyone can talk about..." Jeez, how long was she going to torture me with the painful memory of turning her down? She couldn't let it go; she's like her sister that way. "How much trouble do you think Alvin and Brittany will get into?" Tch, like I'd get into any trouble at a dance… but then again, I'd have gotten a kiss from Brittany, maybe two.

"I don't think they'll be doing too much." I replied, knowing how much Simon hated having to go in the first place.

"Why do you say that?"

"Just a feeling." I hummed, unable to cover up my smirk, "Alvin's been a little… distracted lately." The last thing I watched Jeanette do before our conversation got broken up was give me a questionable look.

***Scene Change***

Ah, lunch. Finally a break from the hardcore classes that Simon chose. He really should prepare better, just in case of an emergency; didn't he ever think ahead just in case we might ever switch bodies? I sat with everyone like usual, watched Simon fight off Brittany's advances, and do he his best to get beside me. He was successful, but at a price.

"You'll be mine." Brittany winked, and I had to nudge my little brother so he remembered to wink back.

"Alvin, I don't think I can go through with this." He whispered, "She's been following me all day and I can't shake her off. There's no way she won't… _attack_ me at the dance."

"Come on, buddy, you can do this." I encouraged him. I doubt it helped, but it shut him up. The dance was only four hours away and he was getting really uptight. _"You need to relax and act like you're having fun."_ I thought, suppressing any urges to blurt it out to him.

"Jeanie," Eleanor said, "Since you're not going with anybody, maybe you'd want to join me and Theodore?" Jeanette looked up with a frail smile at Eleanor's sentiment.

"Thanks, but I think I'll just stay home." She replied, "I have homework to do anyway…"

***Scene Change***

"Yo, Simon!" Ryan called from the middle of the gym. I scurried over to him and accepted his high-five, "You've been killing it lately, or so I hear, maybe you want to chill later?" Okay, I know I'm supposed to be my brother, but I couldn't resist the temptation of having some of my old life back. Finally, I could act like myself around someone! I hoped Simon wouldn't be too peeved about it. It would only be one time while I waited for him to finish on the machine.

"You know it." I said smoothly before the phys-ed teacher gave us our instructions for the class. Seeing as the dance was being held in the gym, we were to help set up for the whole period. This meant blowing up balloons and hanging streamers. The dance's theme (oh, the freaking irony): getting to know your special someone. I learned that Simon would get the HONOUR of learning EVERYTHING about Brittany during a bloody gym class! Everyone who went with a date would be filling out a questionnaire about their date at the end. This is where the acting lessons BETTER work for Simon. If he answered that thing how he normally would then eventually Brittany would be able to put the pieces together and find out she was with Simon for the whole thing. This was already the worst week ever, I didn't need it to get worse.

The bell rang before I could sneak a peak of the question cards, and I was quickly pushed out of the gym. At my locker (Simon's locker) I gathered any school supplies I knew he would rather die than leave at school. I watched Simon stop at his locker (my locker) and approached.

"Ready for your surprise?" I mocked, forcing him to scowl.

"Shut it." He snapped, "It's bad enough you're forcing me to maybe kiss her, but did you know she did stuff like this?"

"Yeah," I laughed, "lighten up, it might not be as bad as you think." We reached Brittany's locker and she smiled when she saw Simon. One look at me though and that smile was wiped away.

"Hey, Simon, Jeanette's waiting for you at the entrance." She said and turned back to Simon, "Ready for your surprise, Alvie?"

"Um, sure?"

I walked away, knowing I was being a third wheel, and before joining Jeanette at the front entrance I heard the slamming of a locker behind me, with no one in sight.

"Ready?" Jeanette asked solemnly and I smiled and nodded. I couldn't tell if she accepted the smile or not, she just began our descent home. Minutes that felt like hours of awkward silence went by and we were barely half way there.

"So," I began, hoping to break the silence that lingered in the air, "Do you really have homework?"

"No," she answered, "I just didn't want to go… I'm guessing you don't either? Have any homework I mean." Simon would say and mean no, I was forced to tell another lie, tell her no, but throughout it all I thought YES! But then again, Simon wouldn't be in this situation.

Finally the guilt, whether I should really be feeling any or not, hit me hard. I was hurting this perfectly innocent chipette for no cause or real reason and I practically got slapped in the face by her pain whenever she spoke.

"Jeanette," I breathed and she looked up from the sidewalk that we traveled on. The dance was going to begin soon and I guess she knew, getting even more fidgety every second that it came closer. Every minute seemed to be torture for her.

"Yes?" She said, fidgeting with her paws.

"I'm sorry for not taking you to the dance," I blurted, "I know it meant a lot to you and if things weren't happening right now I'd love to-"

"I get it!" She snapped with her eyes watering, "It's done. You don't need to come up with these ridiculous excuses!"

"But Simon really wants to go with you." I blurted, unable to contain the words coming out of my mouth. I knew I said Simon and not "I" but I didn't care, I couldn't keep this guilt, this burden.

"Listen you- Wait, what?" she blinked through her own tears and, knowing what I was about to do, as well as the consequences that would come with it, I informed her of what happened between me and Simon.

"You see, it's me, Alvin," I explained, "I messed up during the test experiment and while Simon's machine blew up I guess it switched our minds or bodies or something." She blinked again before furrowing her brow. Not the reaction I was expecting.

"Simon, I can see you clearly; this is over the line. I could understand if you wanted to rationalize everything to ease the rejection, but now you're outright lying to me, and to my face!" As we approached our home she turned around, tremoring, "I don't believe you'd do something like this, Si. I thought we were friends, and I wished we could have been something more… Wished."

"Jeanette, it's really me, Alvin." The truth was out, and it hurt, but she didn't believe a single word of it. How could she not believe me? What isn't believable about this story? Me and Simon switched bodies accidentally and now we needed to get back to normal, that's a fact! "Jeanette, please believe me; you gotta believe me." I begged.

"You're a loon, Si." She whimpered as she pushed by me, "A lying lunatic." She cried before jumping through the mail-slot.

"Man..." I exhaled, "This really sucks."Not only did I make things worse, but I think I may have just ruined Simon and Jeanette's relationship, whether it was only a friendship or something more. There had to be something I could do to fix it. Anything. One thing I knew for sure that wouldn't work now -and perhaps I should have just done this against Simon's request- was to take Jeanette to the dance. There was no way she would want to now, not even with the real Simon.


	10. Chapter 10

**I HAVE to say sorry for the extremely long delay (in my opinion) for this chapter and for "Journal" but now I'm back and ready for more writing! Enjoy; Happy reading and happy writing!**

Simon's Point of View

I pushed my way through the locker door, welcomed the fresh air and tungsten lights, and caught my breath. Whatever just happened was a little fuzzy, and who knew how long I was in there! A quick glance at the clock told me it was five; the dance would be starting any moment, but I could care less right now. When Brittany told me she had a surprise to give, I didn't know what to expect, but if I had a billion guesses, I wouldn't have guessed what it really was. It wasn't a surprise she had in store for me, it was freaking torture! Two hours! Two freaking hours she had me cooped up inside that stuffy locker with her, kissing every part of my face she could find! Fortunately, not only was I able to dodge every attempted kiss aimed for my lips, but I was also capable of not kissing her back. Was that something Alvin would do? Heck no! But this was practically a felony and I had no intention of playing "two hours in heaven" or whatever that game is called. Heaven, ha! They should rename it two hours in the psychotic room of death! How did Brittany have the energy to kiss for two hours anyway? Who cares?! This sucked and the evening hadn't even started yet.

"Ready for the dance, Alvie?" Brittany cooed, stepping out of the locker in a (even I have to admit) stunning pink dress. She studied me as I nodded and she smirked, "That looks really good on you." A red hoodie looks good for a dance? I looked down and choked on a sharp breath of air. I wasn't wearing Alvin's hoodie anymore, I was now wearing a red and white tuxedo with a black bow-tie. Okay, I know it was dark, and I was preoccupied with keeping her lips away, but I think I would have remembered changing into something like this. It was set up so perfectly, so neat and tidy; what the heck happened?! At least now I know hat whatever happens at the dance it couldn't possibly be any worse than this. "Did you like your surprise?"

"Like it?" I laughed sarcastically, "It made me speechless!" I prayed that I'd never have to go through anything like that again for the rest of my life; the very next time I see Alvin, I'm going to slap him for underestimating this evening. I didn't sign up for this! Brittany clutched my hand and together we calmly walked down to the gym.

(Scene Change)

It didn't actually look that bad, I admit that I was impressed by the work put into this, even if balloons seemed a little farfetched for highschoolers. As we walked through the large gym doors, Theodore skittered over to us and handed each of us a card with questions on it.

"What's this?" I asked, but before Theodore could answer, his mouth agape, Brittany broke in, although I don't think she meant to.

"These are the questions we ask each other before the slow dance, right?" She confirmed and Theo smiled.

"Yup!" He exclaimed, "Isn't it fun?" Why is this the _first_ I'm hearing of this?!

"Wait, questions? What questions?" I stammered, grasping my little brother's shoulders, "What are these for?!"

"You know," He gasped awkwardly, "so you can learn more about Brittany and so she can learn more about you." Come on! She lives with Alvin, doesn't she already know everything she needs to about him?

"Let's begin." She stated. Uh oh… I looked down at the writing on the card, freaking out over the first question, neatly printed with ink; Question number one: What is your date's favorite color? Brittany's was obviously pink, but what was Alvin's? He wears a lot of red, but was it really his favorite color? I recall him saying his new favorite color was pink.

"Well, Alvie?" Brittany asked, "What's your favorite color?"

"Um," I pondered, "Pink?" Idiot! The only time Alvin spoke of the color was when Brittany was around!

"Really?!" She practically screamed, "Mine too! Although I guess you already knew that. I didn't think that would be your sort of color." One question and she was already ecstatic, this would not be fun. "Okay, question two: 'What is your date's favorite book or movie?' That's a silly question." She looked at me expectantly. Oh good, a fun question!

"Oh, I absolutely love "To Kill a Mockingbird" and the literary classics of Mark Twain!" This was sadly the highlight of my night. I say sadly because, it was sad; my night's best moment involved me talking to Brittany at a dance about excellence.

"Huh?" She replied in a shocked state, "You like what?"

"Gah, I mean, er, 'Hello Lolly'?" Dang it!

"Aren't you a little old for that?" I shrugged my answer, "Heh, for a second you sounded like Simon."

"What?!" I exaggerated, "Simon? Heh, yeah, I mean it's not like we could switch bodies or anything and it's not like I'm trying to cover up that fact by trying to sound like myself or anything." I really need to learn to shut up more. I was losing it! I couldn't take the pressure that being Alvin came with and it took everything in me to hold back screaming. Rather than rationalizing everything, I'll just tell the truth… Okay, here's the deal: I suck at lying.

"Um, third question?"

"Please, no!"

"Wait, how about one more?" She pleaded after examining the card. "Question three: What does your date like to do for fun?" Oh, come on I should know this one!

"I like to cause havoc by doing things that seem innocent to me, but are clearly totally irresponsible even though I'm just trying to have a little fun inside."

"Okay, that's obviously not going anywhere," Brittany frowned, throwing the card away, "Alvin, are you okay? You're acting different, actually, you've been acting different all week." First of all: I so had that answer correct! Secondly, I wish I could tell her the truth, but I couldn't purposely cause more fighting between her and Alvin. He's doing so much for me, obeying my stupid, selfish rules about how to act like me, I could at least return the favor.

"I'm fine, Britt," I answered, somewhat happy I didn't mess up that answer too, "Just nervous."

"You're nervous to be here with me?" She went wide-eyed and I could hear her mutter under her breath, "Wow…" Was it really that simple to get out of trouble with Brittany? All these years and I'm just now figuring this out? She smiled, "Let's dance."

"Oh… I'd rather not." I'm not really nervous, but the more active we got, the more likely she'd want to kiss, a real kiss, right? This is fear, not anxiety.

"Sure you do," she assured me, "that's just the nervous jitters talking."

"_No it isn't." _I thought and was unwillingly dragged to the dance floor amongst the sweaty teenagers already through with their questions (or just ignoring them) and having the time of their lives popping balloons. I missed the side lines already; Brittany started dancing and I did the best that I could to just stand there and hope she wouldn't notice, but she didn't need to notice; with her eyes closed, she ripped me to her side, forcing me to follow along with her dance moves. A painful twist here, a flip there, the party music went perfectly and was kinda fun. We kept in beat with the tempo, and for a second I was enjoying myself. But then the music changed…

A slower tempo and judging by the sound of the music, there was no guitar, only softer instruments were being played like the flute, a piano, and softer taps on a drum. No lyrics were being sung, and the balloons from the teenagers ceased. The music alone was peaceful. I listened carefully to the calm serenity of the flute, keying into each individual whistle. That is, until I noticed everyone partnering up, a boy and a girl.

"It's time for the slow dance!" Theodore's voice echoed through the gymnasium. I located the source to be the announce table,"Partner up and-" He was cut off, pushed away from the microphone by Eleanor, who hugged him close as she began rocking in the so-called slow dance fashion.

"_At least somebody's having a good time." _I thought about Jeanette and upset she was when I first had Alvin turn her down. She didn't deserve that. I've been regretting my decision ever since; it was unfair to Alvin and unfair to Jeanette.

I flinched at the sudden contact of Brittany's hand interlocking with mine. I'd completely forgotten about "my" date! That was rude… Oops, although it's not like that was any different from the past week.

"Dance with me?" She whispered. I hesitantly agreed and halfheartedly placed my hands on her sides, silently groaning to myself. She smiled and inched herself closer, resting her head my shoulder. She started rocking, but I stood still as a rock. This was wrong, I shouldn't be in this position. Sure, Brittany was a good friend, one of my five roommates and practically family, but I shouldn't be her date. I was leading her on, portraying Alvin (terribly I might add) and that wasn't right. After a couple minutes of awkward "dancing" Brittany pulled away.

"You don't want to be here, do you?" She frowned. Aw, man, the jig is up! I was ready to stick my arms in the air and wait for handcuffs. Wait, was it really up?

"Why would you say that?" I nervously baffled, "Of course I want to be here." I could tell she wasn't convinced.

"You don't need to lie." She replied, "Besides I think you're getting worse at it anyway." Her eyes were forming little tear droplets. Was she actually crying? Had I hurt her that much? Who am I kidding?" She said, "I knew from the beginning you weren't interested, but I convinced myself to keep trying and-" I swiftly pushed a finger over her mouth and she squeaked. It was time to really be Alvin, to realize I'd done something wrong, but most of all, to turn on the charm, even if it was fake. Grabbing her paw, I spun her under my arm, brought her back, and dipped her exactly like Alvin had taught me. I brought her close, back to the "first position" of slow dancing and slowly rocked.

"I want to be here." I lied. It was wrong to lie, but Alvin broke the rules all the time, why shouldn't I to do this one thing so a hopeful chipette would feel better? I was doing this for my brother too, who was probably off destroying the transmitter again.

"Prove it." She said, catching me off guard. So much for my charm. What was she implying? Was my word not enough? I guess that asking that after I just lied to her was sort of redundant. She closed her eyes, "Prove you want to be here with me. You wouldn't in the locker…" What?! She pursed her lips a smidgen as if she was hoping for me to lean. Just because she was hoping for it didn't me she would expect it. I wouldn't if I were her. This was NOT part of the plan. Even when I didn't lean in she had her lips pursed with her pink nose tilted up on her muzzle. Her eyes were only slits, piercing into my own whether she meant them to or not. There was no way I was going to do this! Then again, there was no way out of this either. Not if I didn't want to hurt her… A kiss… one second with lips pressed against each other, that's all a kiss is, but why was it so hard to do?! My guess: you're never closer with someone unless you're kissing, but could simple friends kiss? Could I live with the fact that I'd know I kissed Brittany of all munks? It's not like anyone would know… I would, but that was beside the point.

"_Physical contact,"_ I thought, _"That's all it is, like dancing or dodge ball…" _Her position didn't change; she knew what she wanted, _"Alvin, I swear you BETTER appreciate this…" _I began to lean in, slowly closing my eyes waiting for the "big moment" to occur. If Brittany ever found out… What were the costs to doing this? Other than the medical bill from all the injuries I'd get. It was like I was internally breaking down, all for a stupid kiss. I was going through with this, but I had no clue if things would ever actually be the same again.

As I leaned in closer, I felt the warm air exhaling out of Brittany's nose. That wasn't helping. What the heck was I thinking?! This could cause more trouble than it's worth! But still I leaned closer, any more and we'd be touching. All for a kiss?

"_What on Earth am I doing?"_


	11. Chapter 11

Alvin's Point of View

Even though the clock says it's seven o'clock, it feels a lot later; time seemed to take forever at this time, just like in school. A second equaled an hour, an hour equaled a day. Looking out the window and the dark sky outside, it could have been anywhere from ten to midnight, but still the clocks, both the digital ones and the analog ones, said seven. Obviously I've been freaking out all day, and I guess the resulting reaction was time displacement. This must have been what stress felt like. Like how Simon felt all the time. Come to think of it, I've never asked him what time it was before, I wonder if he'd be able to answer. Can you blame me for my stress though? I _need_ to know how the dance was going! Were Simon and Brittany getting along? Had Brittany killed my brother in an attempt to figure out why we were acting so strange? (Munk knows that didn't go well for me and Jeanette.) Had they kissed? Or would my body be brought home in a hearse, mangled and barely recognizable? They've been there for hours, ever since school ended and I hardly think things could have gone according to plan. We haven't once, over the past week, had so much as an ounce of luck, things haven't once gone right, and now we were overdue for something good to happen.

Ever since I told Jeanette the truth, she's been going out of her way to ignore me. Earlier this evening I attempted to sit beside her on the reclining chair -I really should have taken baby steps first like slowly approaching and asking if she wanted company, but whatever- and the second my tail touched the soft cushion, she hopped up as if she were in the military and ran away from me towards the kitchen. I thought about chasing after her, but that would be just a little bit creepy, don't you think? Why she chose the kitchen to run to is somewhat of a mystery; she could have just as easily made her way up the stairs and into our room, but either way two points were made clear: One, she would go anywhere and probably do anything to get away from me, and two, when girls think you're lying to them, give them a heck of a lot of space. Well done, Alvin, well done.

I was hoping I'd be able to fix everything before Simon got home, you know, make sure that Jeanette didn't hate him and that there was still a remote chance of them having their awkward, quiet relationship, but Jean wouldn't even talk to me. To be fair, I guess telling someone you're her crushes brother inside her crushes body can really tick that certain someone off.

"Hmph!" Jeanette grunted past me, ripping open a book (Really, who keeps books in the kitchen?!) and attempting to read it while climbing the stairs. Case in point. She's angry, and if I were her, I wouldn't miss an opportunity for a guilt trip either. She had almost every right, other than the fact that I actually was telling the truth and that this was all a misunderstanding.

"Come on, Jeanette," I said, following her up each step and ignoring my rule of giving a girl her space, "Why won't you talk to me?" We climbed a couple more hard steps before she spoke in a cracked voice that could make even the happiest little elf a little sad.

"Because you're a filthy liar." Ouch, okay, I know it doesn't sound very believable, but I am telling the truth! That remark though, I guess I kind of deserved it, Simon didn't, but I did, I'll give her that one and that one only. Before I could reply however, she jumped up to the last step and slipped. Instincts kicked in and a brief half-second of panic struck through me as I opened my arms to catch her. I don't know if Simon's limbs are weak, or if it was the force of impact that sent me flying backwards and to the ground with her wrapped close to me. Together we laid on the previous stair, but for all I knew we were still falling. Her bright violet eyes blinked rapidly at mine and it was like I was lost in her own emotions. Sure she was scared, but she still reflected the angry, sad emotions of being rejected, being "lied" to, and how quick everything was happening. I didn't know what to say, what to do, but either way I felt like I was going to cry. Were these her exact feelings? All this time, she's felt this bad? Was this what Simon did with her all the time? He empathized with her and this was what it was like. Come to think of it, I've never empathized with Brittany. How did Simon know how to do it? She stared into my eyes for a split second and quickly turned away, climbing off of me.

"D-Doesn't change anything." She said and waited around long enough to help me up, "L-Liar." And with that awkward moment passed, she skittered away, clutching the closed book to her chest. There were a couple things ingrained in my brain. For one thing, she is sooo not over Simon, I could see it in her eyes, among the dark feelings, there was a spark. For another, I think, even if it was for a brief, tiny, almost invisible millisecond, she believed it was me inside this tall, nerdy, dark0furred body.

I decided it was time for me to leave her alone; as I've said, there was no hope of fixing an entire relationship tonight and I really didn't want things to get worse; stalking her, yeah, not the best idea right now. I bet that eventually, if you pushed her buttons long enough, she could get fierce like Brittany. You know what that means, right? Video games! Although I doubt I'd be able to pay any attention to the screen, just the sound of the racing music, or the amazing visual of the graphics would lighten the mood, calm me down a bit. My minds been wandering all evening. I was one hundred and ten percent sure that if Simon and Brittany weren't home within the hour, Simon would be dead. I mean, what was more likely to happen: The dance went well and Brittany was totally in love with me, or the dance was a disaster and there'd be a chipmunk funeral held in a couple days? Seriously, which one has greater odds? No way did the dance go well; Brittany would come home angry or sad or both, and Simon, if he came home at all, would get the pleasure (sarcasm!) of hearing the news, spoken in the gentlest way possible, that he and Jeanette would likely never happen. This really had to be a bad night for him, poor guy. Maybe I should hold off the news and wait until the machine was fully repaired. Why put more stress on him?

"We're home!" Brittany announced, jumping through the mail slot before I could turn on the television. She gave me a look that seemed to be a mixture of pity, happiness, and anger, "How was your evening, Simon?" I thought about Jeanette's angry outbursts and how she'd fallen and I'd caught her.

"Uh, it was okay." I said. I couldn't tell her the truth, that would spell trouble. It's not like the truth ever did me any good.

"Hm, well I'm glad." She scoffed and went up the stairs; she'd be joining her sister, that was good, right? Sister time was always good. I heard the metal flap shudder and caught sight of my brother. Hey, he looked pretty dashing in the red tux. I should wear that more often.

"Soo?" I thought it was implied as to what I meant by that, but my brother was clueless so I guess not.

"So, what?" He frowned.

"So, how'd it go?"

It was fun!" Theodore exclaimed before a yawn and barely making it through the mail slot.

"I was asking Simon." I stated.

"Simon?" Dang it! Why can't I grasp a hold of saying my own freaking name?!

"I mean Alvin," I corrected myself, "I'm tired, give me a break, Theo." Theodore obliged and happily scurried to the kitchen with Eleanor my his side.

"They haven't separated since the slow dance." Simon chuckled slightly, followed by a tired sigh.

"Dude… HOW WAS THE DANCE?!" What, was he doing this on purpose? "Did you and Brittany… You know?" I made a small hand gesture which involved them interlocking with each other.

"Excuse me?!" Okay, not the best gesture to make.

"Did you and Brittany kiss?!" Jeez, you think it's obvious enough? Did I have to spell it out for him? His face fell and his eyes turned from confused to soft.

"Oh… Well we-"

"SIMON!" I heard Brittany scream and the thuds of her coming down the stairs were not a good sign. "What is wrong with you?! Why would you do that to my sister?!" She grabbed me by the collar of the hoodie, and the angry expression on her face included her teeth blaring, grinding together so hard I thought she might break them. Any moment I expected steam to be shooting out of her ears.

"Whoa, hey," Simon interjected, pulling Brittany off me and standing in between us, "What's going on? What happened?"

"Oh, you wanna know what happened?!" She exploded and Simon nodded calmly.

"_No, you really don't." _I thought.

"Your idiot and probably insane brother said he was you in his body!"

"Alvin, you did what?" Simon whispered harshly.

"Alvin?"

"Simon, you did what?"

"Um… well… I…" I stammered, looking into my brothers eyes again, hoping for some back-up. They were now hard and just as angry as Brittany's.

"Not only that, but he hurt her by continuously bringing it up and saying it was he truth."

"But-" I tried to say, but was quickly cut off.

"You know, she's right," Brittany continued, "you are a dirty liar." That was the last thing I heard from Brittany; I think I got off easy. She ran straight back upstairs and I knew it was for comfort. I turned back to Simon, who was in shock or something because he was just now realizing the situation. His eyes were mad, but even worse, they were sad.

"A-Alvin, you didn't…" He choked and I tried to grab his arm, you know, to pull him into a hug, but he jerked it away and turned his back to me, keeping his face lowered to the ground, "Why?" He managed to spit out.

"I… I… I couldn't keep lying to her." I confessed, "I didn't think she'd hate you." I took a step towards him, but he shuffled away quickly.

"How could you…" He whispered, pulling off the tie he was wearing, "I do everything to save your relationship with Brittany and you just ruin my own relationship just like you ruin everything else?"

"I don't ruin everything…" I said, hardly getting defensive.

"Oh, please," He said, "You ruined my science fair project twice, you made me interfere with my friendship with Brittany, and you ruined my relationship with Jeanette."

"Simon, I didn't mean to do any of those things." I argued.

"That's just it!" He raised his voice louder, though I don't think anyone other than me could hear it, "You never do. Whether it's all an accident or not, you just do it." everything was falling apart, not that we knew what we were doing or anything, but at least before we still had each other to stick with while facing this problem. Now… Well, I've never seen Simon so upset. Truth be told – I messed up and now Simon was the one paying for it. He sulked his way to the recliner, no doubt getting ready for bed, but despite everything, there was still something I needed to know, something that I knew would irk me if I never found out, no matter the outcome.

"Simon," He barely acknowledged me (turning away still counts as acknowledging, right?) and I could tell he wanted nothing to do with me, "You said that you saved my relationship with Brittany… Does that mean you kissed her?" He stopped with whatever he was doing and turned so his front was facing me, though his face still hung down low to the ground. He didn't nod his head yes or shake his head no.

"Who cares?" He mumbled as o of his tears dropped off his face and into the palm of my open paw.


	12. Chapter 12

Simon's Point of View

Of all the lying, conniving, cruel tricks he could have played… Heh, you think I'd be talking about Alvin in a thought like that, but after last night I don't even wanna think about him. No, that evil trick I mentioned; I'm talking about Dave. Let me explain; that morning after the dance, Dave was acting all nice, the kind of nice that made you think that something was up. He specifically told me and Alvin that he had a surprise for us, and when he parked the car in the school parking drop-off lot, he looked back at us from his driver's seat.

"Alvin. Simon. I want you two to stay in the car." I was skeptical, I mean, anyone would with their dad acting out of the ordinary. In the end, I was right to judge Dave's actions. He ended up dropping off four chipmunks that morning and I bet it's easy to guess the two who were stuck in the car. However, when we didn't turn around and drive home, my suspicions grew and the feeling deep in the pit of my stomach worsened. I could have dealt with the strange behavior if we were just going back home, but that wasn't part of Dave's plan, and I needed to know what was going on. I snapped out of my angered state with Alvin and let my curiosity get the better of me. I climbed the leather seat belt -which would be next to useless for me in a crash- so I could get a full view of the world outside. This wasn't the road home. This road wasn't familiar in any way. Past the cars on either side of us were tall buildings, some that had to be ten stories high. We were deep in the city. We didn't often go in this far unless we were performing at a concert.

"Dave, where are we going?" I questioned, breaking the streak of silence I'd began late last night. Dave ignored the question for a few moments before adjusting his mirror so Alvin and I appeared in the reflective glass.

"I don't know what's going on with you two, but I'm sick and tired of it. You both have been acting out of the ordinary: Simon, you being rude and Alvin, you attending class." He's complaining about that?! "I think you need help to work out your problems. I'm taking you to a child psychologist." Oh, that's just great! He can make me go, sure, but he can't make me talk to anyone there, and that includes Alvin! I gulped, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat. The possibilities of what could happen… This wasn't good. What if the psychologist thought we were crazy too? What if he thought we should be separated and away from our family? I thought about bringing it up with Alvin, but I couldn't bring myself to talk to him. I was tired of him and everything he's done.

"Um, Dave…" I pondered, "You know, we don't need to do something so rash. Alvin and I are fine."

"Oh yes we do," He retorted, "but being the reasonable father I am, if things go well and you and Alvin can get along better you won't have to go back." Not very reasonable to me… It wasn't fair, after what Alvin did _I _was the one who had to act nice to _him_. It was a long drive compared to the usual school-and-back routine, and I was forced to sit on my tail, huddled in the corner of the soft seat while Alvin continued to try and converse with me.

"Si, how many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" He whispered and I hoped Dave wasn't listening in. I heaved a sigh and turned to face the door. I didn't care how childish I was being, I had every right to shun my brother. "Come on, Si…" He shuffled closer and a voice in my head told me to roll down my window and jump out of the moving vehicle, tuck and roll- anything to escape. "What do I have to do?"

"Here we are." Dave announced, parking the car with a loud screech. He really needed to get the brakes checked out. He opened the car door for me and Alvin and escorted us to the entrance of the doctor's office; a tall, gloomy building that acted more like a morgue. On the way, a crow cawed on top of a streetlight. I could hear it mocking me, laughing it's beak off at our suspense. _"__Ha ha, enjoy your stay you crazy loser. Ha ha!" _

"Quiet, you!" I shouted, causing Dave and Alvin to turn back to me, acting as if I truly was crazy. Oh, jeez. Yelling at crows… I was crazy. I looked down at the separation between the outside gravel path and the building's tiled flooring, embarrassed at my outburst about nothing. The ride through the elevator wasn't helping. My stomach lurched and I became nauseous Elevators, anger, and sadness don't mix. The metal doors slid open on the sixth floor and Dave accompanied us to the front desk

"Sevilles." Dave said to the receptionist and she typed something into her computer, "Therapy for two."

"Alvin and Simon?" Sh confirmed and Dave nodded. Her desk was exceptionally clean with several cabinets labeled "A-Z". A place for everything and everything in it's place. A phone beside the computer, and a pile of papers beside the phone. Everything was so neat and tidy, it was actually kind of refreshing. "Have a seat," The receptionist gestured to a row of cushioned chairs, "Dr. Warren will be right with you." She smiled routinely and the folds in her skin told me she'd been doing this for a long time.

The chairs weren't as comfy as they looked and the light above me was bright enough to give me a headache. To the right of me sat a little girl who recognized me and smiled widely.

"Hey," She said excitedly, "You're Alvin from 'Alvin and the Chipmunks'! What are you doing here?!" I smiled back at her, but then remembered I wasn't myself, and she thought I was the lead singer, the egotist who hogged the spotlight more than half the time. I needed to act cool.

"Oh, you know," I said, "Keeping it real." Wow, that sounded stupid. In a therapists office? "I mean… Actually I'm here because of my brother."

"Which one?" She asked, "Simon or Theodore?"

"Alvin!" I pointed to my brother, but saw my own body turning it's head, distracted by the spinning fan above and following it's rapid movements. I slapped my head- seriously, Alvin?! "He drives me crazy!"

"Um, a-aren't you Alvin…?" The little girl backed away. Whoops…

"Heh, well, you see-"

"Alvin. Simon." A tall, bulky, shaggy-haired man walked out from the opposing hallways that lead to the therapy rooms, "Come on in."

The office was kind of what you'd expect from a child psychologist; the walls were colorful and decorated with pictures, there were a number of seating arrangements too, such as the couch, bean bags, or stools. Toys cluttered the back corner, and full bookshelves were stacked against the back wall. There was also a desk with folders on it; folders that read "Alvin" and "Simon" though they didn't look very professional.

At first I took a seat on the couch, but when Alvin sat down next to me I switched to a bean bag. I sank in the foamy feeling and even had trouble breathing at one point until I finally found a comfortable position where I wouldn't sink and suffocate.

"So," Dr. Warren began, "What brings you two here today?" I got the feeling he already knew.

"A car." I grumbled and he didn't seem amused. I'll admit I was cranky and deliberately acting like a baby, but my excuse was that I was Alvin. You are who you look like.

"I mean, why are you here?" He rephrased himself.

"_Alvin messed up my science fair project and made us switch bodies and while in the process of convincing our family that we're okay, they've inherited the idea that we're insane." _I thought sourly, _"It's only gone downhill from there." _

"We've been fighting a lot." Alvin said, pushing my glasses back up on his face.

"And why do you think that is?" Dr. Warren asked and my brother turned to me with an apologetic look splattered across his face.

"I've been a real jerk. I've been selfish and I ruined Simon's relationship." The doctor gave my brother a puzzled expression and searched through the folders.

"That's a bit of an understatement." I groaned.

"Simon, you know I'm sorry, right."

"It doesn't matter!" I spat, "After everything, I'm done! You ruined one of the most important things in my life!"

"Your project was that important to you?" Alvin said.

"No! You-" I began sinking again and I forced the doctor to look up from the papers and stare me down, "Do you see what I have to deal with?!" I had much more planned to complain about, but then I noticed the doctor's face, and boy did it look confused.

Alvin, not paying attention, spoke up, "Am I that much of a bother?" I took a breath and forced myself to nod. "Simon… I'm-"

"I know that you're sorry." I interrupted him. He's said that, what, fifty times today? From the moment I woke up to now, all I've heard coming out of his mouth was 'I'm sorry' and that was starting to get on my nerves. I was almost willing to forgive him just so he'd shut up.

"To make up for it, I'll spend day and night to fix everything I broke on the machine…"

"Wait, what?!"

"Heh, did I forget to mention that I may have accidentally… broke a few things on the machine." That sent me over the edge. I bounced out of the sinking bean bag and shot myself at Alvin.

"Boys?" Dr. Warren tried to interrupt, but to no avail. Consumed by my rage, I pounced at my brother, tackling him off the couch and we landed towards the toy area.

**Scene Chang****e**

"… Boys, boys, boys!" The doctor screamed, "Enough! Your dad's here to take you aw- I mean pick you up!" I stopped chasing Alvin around the room and exhaled deeply, panting the breaths in and out. The room was a disaster. The couch's cushions had been ripped and stuffing hung over the arms, the bean bags had been completely emptied of their foamy pellets, and papers and broken toys were scattered around the room. Doctor Warren's hair was a curly mess and his panic-stricken face was drained of any color. In his right hand he held a container of Advil and in his left hand, a bottle of water.

Silently, Alvin and I trudged to the open door and were greeted by Dave's glare, piercing down at us. His eyebrows were furrowed and his arms were crossed- not usually a good welcoming.

"What happened?" He demanded.

"T-They're out of c-control." The doctor answered, "They fight, they destroyed everything s-starting with the toys…" Dr. Warren shook and popped another Advil. "Y-Your boys… F-Feel free to never bring them back!" He closed the door to the room and behind it I thought I could hear crying.

"Ahem!" Dave coughed and I felt my ears go limp; something told me we were in trouble, "Car! Now!" Without argument, I scurried to the car with Alvin to my right and Dave at our heels. I wouldn't say it was awkward in the vehicle, but it sure wasn't pretty. "You got kicked out of therapy." Dave said slowly, as if he was soaking in what I thought would have to be one of the hardest things any normal patient could do, "I could hear you all the way from the waiting room! Who gets kicked out of child therapy?! Boys, I want you to tell me what's going on right now!" I haven't seen him that angry ever since the casino incident when we went on a cruise. I wish I could tell him the truth, but with Jeanette's -it hurts to say her name- reaction coupled with the fact that we made a doctor take pills… I'm afraid of how Dave would take it.

"Um, it was an accident?" Alvin said unconvincingly.

"Simon, I never would have expected you to lie to me like that -terribly I might add." And then it occurred to me; the whole reason I was in this predicament, the reason everyone thought I was a liar, the reason Jeanette will probably never even consider going with me to the next dance, the reason I can't even enter the stupid science fair happening in a couple of days. All of it was because of Alvin!

The anger from this past week, everything I'd kept hidden, was boiling inside me again, but I was fatigued. My mind, my heart, my stomach. This week was tiring and I felt that I might vomit, but there was nothing to dispose of; I'd been too depressed to eat this morning.

"After lunch I want you both to go to your room and go to bed early." Dave said in that punishing tone only a parent could have.

"Our beds aren't there," Alvin brought up, "Si- my machine's still up there."

"What? Seriously? Simon, I want you to get rid of that thing. Does it even work?"

"_Not the way it's supposed to."_ I thought sourly. How could he want it gone? I still needed it! It was the one thing that could change almost everything back to normal, and I was looking forward to working on it, despite my restlessness.

"D-Dave-" I said.

"Alvin, please don't argue now. I thought you'd be happy to sleep in your own bed again."

"We can't get rid of it yet!" I thought it was me who'd shouted -I was thinking those exact words- but my ears didn't lie. Alvin moved forward and set his foot down, "Please, Dave? There's still the science fair to think about. You don't want all that time to go to waste, do you?" I knew that Dave was considering what Alvin said. I stared at my brother; he was actually standing up for what I believed in.

"I suppose you can keep it for now, but as punishment for getting kicked out of therapy, both you _and_ Alvin have to work on it, otherwise I don't want to see you doing anything fun; no TV, no video games, no going out for school events or anything. Got it?" Perfect! Finally just what we needed!

"You got it, Dave." Alvin winked and we arrived home.

**Scene Change**

Our room was a cluttered mess with dozens, if not hundreds, of small plastic parts lying everywhere. The mess made a tornado look clean. After fixing the bottom portion of the compartment where the formula -the chemical that we still needed to find/steal- would go, I turned my attention to where Alvin sat, working on the bottom half of one of the pods. I wanted to give him something easy to help with and the pods aren't that important, so if he messes them up… Again… never mind. He looked up from his work as if he could sense my gaze.

"What?" He half asked, half chuckled nervously. He double checked the pod and I knew he thought I was evaluating him. There was something on my mind and now was as good a time as ever to ask.

"How come that even when you're inside my body, everything still ends up going the way you want it? The way you make it?" I wondered out loud. I was positive he didn't want the therapy to go down the way it did, but I think we both needed to… run off… some stress.

"I'm just that good." He gave me the same wink he'd given Dave in the car, "So, Simon?"

"What?"

"I saved the machine- do you forgive me?" He was really trying and I knew that, and that was worth something, wasn't it? But still, Jeanette was so important to me…

"No," I sighed and he wilted like a dehydrated flower, "but it's a start."


End file.
